The Current Leadership Dilemma
Organizational leadership has never been more important or complex. While employees like leaders who put the needs of their teams first, these leaders need to control the emotional toll this has on them.
Leaders need support to deal with the extra demands now put on them due to 21st Century leadership practices.
Learning practical mental fitness strategies, reduces your risk of suffering from the negative effects of burnout, role overload, many psychosocial hazards, while increasing your levels of wellbeing and work-life satisfaction.
3 Elements to Self Leadership
Lars Sudmann, identified the 3 key elements of self-leadership (self-awareness, self-reflection, self-regulation), which promotes the importance of leading oneself first before going out and leading others. Take a listen!
We’ve included 1 highly effective mental fitness tool for leaders below, to support the development of the 3 key elements.
3 Mental Fitness Tools for leaders
These 3, highly effective, mental fitness tools are ideally designed for leaders.
Consistently implementing these tools throughout your work day will greatly improve your confidence and control as a leader, and have a positive effect on your team’s performance.
1. Self-awareness – Tool – Identify Your Character Strengths
Why identify your character strengths as a leader?
Research shows that understanding and applying your character strengths can help:
- Boost Confidence & Accomplish Goals
- Increase Happiness
- Strengthen Relationships & Build Meaning and Purpose
- Manage Problems & Reduce StressImprove Work Performance
Undertake the VIA Character Strengths Survey (free 10 minute, evidence-based, survey).
Check out these career and work related resources that can help you activate your strengths as a leader.
2. Self-reflection – Tool – Worry Time
3. Self Regulation – Tool – Mindful Gaps
This practical mental fitness tool has been a game changer for pretty much every leader we’ve coached.
We call the tool ‘Mindful Gaps’ and it’s taken from Andrew Fraser’s concept of ‘The Third Space’ (explained below).
Enjoy your leadership
We hope you enjoy implementing these daily mental fitness tools into your daily leadership.
There’s no denying that the world of work is becoming increasingly complex. That is why it’s vital to continually seek out ways to improve and learn how you can adapt your leadership to suit the ever-changing environment.
If you intend on becoming a better leader, then commit to continuously developing your self-awareness, self-efficacy, leadership skills and attributes. This is what will take you from a good leader to a healthy, highly effective one.
