Article 07: Seven (7) Ways To Lose At Self Leadership

In the previous blog, I introduced the Six Phases of Leadership. In this month's blog, I will cover seven ways leaders fail at self-leadership. Each phase will be a two-part series where in part one, I provide you with seven ways that leaders fail, and in part two, with seven ways that leaders win.

Leadership is a dynamic state that is constantly changing. John Maxwell, a Phase Six leader, describes leadership as a verb. It's the leader's responsibility to take his team on a journey to achieve big, bold visions. However, before you begin the journey with a team, first learn to lead yourself well. Leadership is a lifelong journey, and I define the process as building your leadership bridge. You will fail at each phase of becoming a Purposeful Accountable Leader (PAL); just accept that fact. Still, your failures will galvanize you and help you build the leadership bridge. So, why is self-leadership the first phase of the journey? You must master yourself first to lead others well, which takes routine, accountabiltiy, and discipline (RAD). Here are seven ways leaders fail at self-leadership:

Before leading others, learn to master leading yourself first.

-Joshua K. McMillion

Developing Poor Habits

What is a commonality that successful leaders share? Great leaders all share routines that reinforce good habits. The habits you create for yourself are instrumental in your leadership development. For example, CNBC interviewed Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, who wakes up each morning at 03:45 am. Another example is retired General Stanley McChrystal, who wakes up at 04:00 am. Waking up early is just one example of a good habit. Still, I argue it is the most important to establish because it sets the foundation for the rest of your day. By starting the day with a win, you are cultivating an abundance mindset and going to work curious, coachable, and committed. If you want to learn to lead well, watch other leaders around you and see what habits you can choose for yourself. Remember, what works for others may not work for you. Do not be afraid to tailor other successful practices to meet your needs. If you're wondering, I get up at 04:00 am each morning with an easy win and seize my day.

Lacking Discipline

Remember, growth is uncomfortable, and your body fights back when you push your physical and mental limits. To break through these plateaus that occur on everyone's journey, you need to reinforce yourself with accountability systems. That can be a mastermind group, an inner circle, a coach, or a close friend. Everyone needs a tree, that unmovable object that is deeply rooted and provides shade and support. Second, reflect on your purpose or, said another way, your passion. Why are you on this earth? What will your legacy be? You need to find your Christmas morning, waking up each morning with excitement because what you are doing is filled with purpose. Passion demands a response, which will force you through the hard times.

Poor Time Management

You will fail when given authority if you cannot manage your time efficiently with limited responsibilities. There are only 24 hours in a day, but what separates PALs from others is how that time is managed. First, you need to prioritize the activities you do in a day. Are the activities helping you better yourself? Should your time be focused on other activities? Second, plan out your day. I practice time-blocking and use Google Calendar, which is a free resource. Then I color code the actions on a given day and try to plan the week. There will never be a time when your calendar will go perfectly to schedule, which is okay. Spend 15 minutes each week refining your calendar and determining the most critical activities to progress into the vision you see yourself. If you keep stretching yourself too thin, you will reach burnout, which is not sustainable.

Zig Ziglar

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.

Developing Your Weaknesses

A fatal flaw that I often see leaders do is spend time developing their weaknesses. Weaknesses are essential to improve on but are not crucial in the beginning. For example, I am a slow reader, and because I have dyslexia, I avoided reading growing up. Reading is vital to growth, but I focused on managing my weaknesses instead of improving my reading speed. I discovered Audible and grew to love reading, but the labels I was given early on hampered my growth. Do not waste time improving your weaknesses until you operate at a very high level. It takes significant time and energy to improve in an area you are not naturally talented. When this happens, your competition will pass you. Understand your weaknesses and find ways to overcome them by leveraging your strengths or the strengths of others.

Short-Sighted

Leaders who are short-sighted are always defensive instead of offensive. To lead yourself well, be able to see the long-term vision of where you are trying to go. Remember, leadership is a journey; if you play defense, you lose traction. Traction is critical for self-development to gain momentum and reach your full potential. Short-sighted leaders are limiting their growth and, ultimately, their true potential. Finally, a side effect of being defensive all the time is consistent action on the 50-meter targets. You will create a toxic mindset that fosters burnout if you never see growth. PALs create 10-year visions that can be traced to 5 years, 1 year, and daily action. Stop putting out fires and start looking for smoke.

Staying In Your Comfort Zone

What got you to this point will not take you to the future you envision. Often, leaders are afraid to assume any risk in life and never grow. PALs understand how to manage risk by mitigating the chances of something happening. It's okay not to know the outcome; I argue it makes life exciting and worth living. Second, leaders are afraid to fail. The journey to becoming the leader your Team needs is built on the failures you make along the way. Those failures are the best wisdom you can learn and will help instill humility and gratitude. If you stay in your comfort zone, you may win the battle but lose the war.

Joshua K. McMillion

Calculated risks are where dreams come true; the comfort zone is where dreams die.

Showing Up For Others

Leaders can not show up for others until they have shown up for themselves. I like to think of showing up for yourself as an investment. It takes discipline and time to see the results you are aiming for. Do not cheat yourself. PALs understand that each day starts and ends with self-leadership. Taking the time to think and rebalance yourself is not a selfish act. Instead, it is a caring act because you set the conditions to show up with purpose. To become a great leader, you need time to think; you can not do that if you always show up to solve others' problems. Once you add value to yourself, you can multiply value into your team and start to become the leader your team needs. If you constantly show up for others and say yes to all requests, you will reach decision fatigue and develop a toxic mindset that results in transitional leaders. PALs invest in themselves because they know it will improve the team and shape them into transformational leaders when given a chance.

After Action Review

1. What failures are you currently experiencing?

2. How can you overcome those failures?

3. What does your Christmas morning look like?

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My Mission: I will end toxic leadership practices by equipping leaders with transformational leadership skills. 

Together, we will impact 1 MILLION lives!!!

Every day is a gift, don't waste yours!

Joshua K. McMillion | Founder MLC | Founder MLC

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