“There is only self-discipline. Far too many coaches and leaders think you can impose discipline on someone. And worse some use it as an excuse to bully and intimidate.” @Fergus_Connolly
Leadership starts with self-awareness and leading yourself. Self-leadership is what leads to mental toughness. All the techniques, tricks, and tips in the world won’t work for long without being firmly rooted in self-awareness.
Recently I posed a question which is quickly becoming a favorite: “Where are you getting in your own way?”
The business leader gets in his own way when he doesn’t understand that he is perceived as angry and short-tempred. His people do what he wants out of fear rather than teamwork.
The athlete refuses to put down her phone and so doesn’t get enough sleep to be at her best. She trains with great effort but performance suffers.
The leader/coach doesn’t realize his concern about reaching the goal comes across as disappointment in a direct report or athlete. It’s demoralizing to the person and the leader/coach doesn’t know the negative impact.
Sleep, diet, self-care, self-talk, blame, each of these are ways we create headwind, where we get in our own way.
When we don’t like what someone did or the way they did it, we’re stubborn, our ego flares up, and we resist even though following through would be helpful. We get in our own way.
When a person has difficulty accepting feedback, critique of their presentation or performance, it creates headwind.
The biggest obstacle to success is yourself. Where are your habits creating headwind for you. Where are you not helpful to your stated goals? Every leader has blindspots, which is why coaching works. I’d love to talk with you about how 2019 could be a more successful year for you.