Leadership Starts in Yourself

To lead others, one must first learn how to lead himself. This is a fact. And there is no going around it.

One cannot expect others to follow him, his orders and directions --- reasonable or not --- if that person is not himself prepared to listen to his own voice and to appreciate his own wisdom. It simply is not possible. People are not prepared to give up their own decision-making abilities, their freedom to choose their own fates, without first having to see even the smallest hint of competence in that person who seeks their support, their loyalty and willingness to serve.

People need to know they are in safe hands. They need to know that they can trust this person asking for their help. That he can do whatever it is he claims he is capable of doing. They need to know if that person actually trusts himself and if he actually believes in himself. If he does not, there is no reason whatsoever why they should think any differently.

It is true. Getting to that point of having enough confidence to rely on one's self is not easy. It requires a lot of perseverance, and a lot of sacrifice. Inasmuch as it is easy to lose faith in one's powers, to gain that high level of confidence requires the exact opposite quantity of effort and determination. One needs to excel in whatever it is one does, This is the only chance for him to sincerely believe that is in fact good at it. Only when he starts giving himself a lot more value, is the time ripe for learning to instill that same belief in others.

Yes. It may be hard. But it is the only way. There usually are no shortcuts to life's more precious lessons. The same is true when it comes to leadership. One cannot step out there and immediately be a leader. You need respect for that. But the only time others will respect you is when you start respecting yourself. The only time they will follow your orders, is when you begin following them yourself.

The time to start learning that is now. Immediately. That is a fact. And there is also no way of going around it.