JCLP Ep. 31 4 Ways to Lead Yourself

11/12/19 • 22 min

We all want to achieve success. And there are markers and indicators that will help us to do just that. One of the chief of those is whether or not we will take the responsibility of leading ourselves well in order to plant ourselves on the path toward success. In this episode, Jenni Catron, 4Sight's Founder and CEO, disusses the ways in which we can invest in our own leadership, that will, in turn, benefit all those we are privileged to lead.
Jenni's book The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership
"There is a person with whom you spend more time than any other, a person who has more influence over you, and more ability to interfere with or to support your growth than anyone else. This ever-present companion is your own self." -Dr. Pamela Butler, Clinical Psychologist

Self-awareness is the foundation of leading ourselves well.

3 Core Elements of Self-awareness

Awareness of myself
Awareness of others
Awareness of how others experience themselves around me

The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

Heart
Soul
Mind
Strength

These dimensions comprise our whole self.

Leading from Your Heart

1) Lead with an understanding of who you are.

Things to consider:

• Do you see tasks or people first?

• Are you an introvert or extrovert? What gives you energy? Knowing this will help you

better manage your energy when you are with others.

• Are you independent or interdependent?

2) Learn how your experiences have shaped you.

3) The best of our leadership will emerge from emotional intelligence. This means

understanding your emotions, desires, and how you influence others.

Leading from Your Soul

The soul is the part of us that longs to know God. It’s the epicenter of morality, integrity, humility, and servanthood.

Leading from soul = what you value. A key part of self-awareness is understanding what you value - what’s truly important to you.

Understanding your values is the key to learning what drives you.

What are your values and what is their source? What are your core motivations and convictions? What is your driving ‘why’?
Take time to reflect, and recognize any patterns present in your behavior... how you manage your time, your priorities or decisions. What does your calendar tell you that you value?
Consider your values in every sector of life: relationally, physically, spiritually and professionally. What principles do you stand on in each of these areas of life?
Your actions, decisions, conversations and behaviors are all driven by what you value.
Why do you handle conflict the way you do?
What is the root behind how you make decisions?
Why do certain conversations excite you and others drain you?
Consider your character and integrity – what is true and what do you want to be true? What needs to change so that your reality and aspirations are congruent? What morals do you live by and how does that impact your influence. How do you want people to see you? What do you want to be known for? Wh

We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us:

Review us on Apple podcasts
Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

Self-awareness is the foundation of leading ourselves well.

3 Core Elements of Self-awareness

Awareness of myself
Awareness of others
Awareness of how others experience themselves around me

The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

Heart
Soul
Mind
Strength

These dimensions comprise our whole self.

Leading from Your Heart

1) Lead with an understanding of who you are.

Things to consider:

• Do you see tasks or people first?

• Are you an introvert or extrovert? What gives you energy? Knowing this will help you

better manage your energy when you are with others.

• Are you independent or interdependent?

2) Learn how your experiences have shaped you.

3) The best of our leadership will emerge from emotional intelligence. This means

understanding your emotions, desires, and how you influence others.

Leading from Your Soul

The soul is the part of us that longs to know God. It’s the epicenter of morality, integrity, humility, and servanthood.

Leading from soul = what you value. A key part of self-awareness is understanding what you value - what’s truly important to you.

Understanding your values is the key to learning what drives you.

What are your values and what is their source? What are your core motivations and convictions? What is your driving ‘why’?
Take time to reflect, and recognize any patterns present in your behavior... how you manage your time, your priorities or decisions. What does your calendar tell you that you value?
Consider your values in every sector of life: relationally, physically, spiritually and professionally. What principles do you stand on in each of these areas of life?
Your actions, decisions, conversations and behaviors are all driven by what you value.
Why do you handle conflict the way you do?
What is the root behind how you make decisions?
Why do certain conversations excite you and others drain you?
Consider your character and integrity – what is true and what do you want to be true? What needs to change so that your reality and aspirations are congruent? What morals do you live by and how does that impact your influence. How do you want people to see you? What do you want to be known for? Wh

We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us:

Review us on Apple podcasts
Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

Previous Episode

JCLP Ep. 30 The Key to Leading Yourself

We all want to lead our teams well, to make a difference and to be successful in our endeavors. BUT, we've all found ourselves in moments where we feel stuck or in situations where we look back on our day, bewildered and frustrated, wondering why things just didn’t go well.

Many times, our feelings of being stuck or frustrated come back to a simple, though difficult-to-admit, truth: we're just not leading ourselves well. That's the bad news. The good news is, it's never to late to learn to lead yourself better! In this episode, the first in a series all about Self-Leadership, Jenni Catron teaches us about a key facet of leading ourselves well: self-awareness.

Highlights from Jenni’s teaching:

3 Reasons Self-Awareness is Essential

It is the strongest predictor of success.
It equips you to know where to focus.
It actually makes you less self-focused.

3 Important Steps of Self-Awareness

1. Awareness of Myself

Self-Awareness starts with self-observation. How well do I know myself? Do I know what I think, feel, and believe? Do I act in a way that is an accurate reflection of how people experience me?
2. Awareness of Others

Self-Awareness increases with the observation of others. Do I know the people around me and do I understand how they will respond to interactions and conversations?

3. Awareness of How Others Experience Themselves Around Me

This final stage involves paying attention to how others feel about themselves when they’re around me. Ask yourself, “Have I ever noticed how I make people feel about themselves around me?”

Do you make people feel insecure or confident about their decisions?

Do you make them feel empowered or apathetic about their choices?

Do I make them feel creative or stifled with their projects?

Application point: Prioritize time in your life to consider what do you think, feel, and believe. When’s the last time you asked yourself those questions? How do others experience you? What would you like to change?
For a great FREE resource to help you on your path toward greater self-awareness, simply text 4Sight to (773) 770-4377. In addition, you'll receive our weekly Leadership Insights that will continue to help you on your journey as thriving leader.

We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us:

Review us on Apple podcasts
Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

Next Episode

JCLP Ep. 32 What Getting Pneumonia & Seeing the Mr. Rogers Movie Taught me about Self-Leadership

Nobody likes to be faced with their own limitations. Particularly hard-working, self-starting leaders like you. So what do we do when life’s circumstances bring us up close and personal with the limits of our capacity? In this episode, Jenni Catron, Founder and CEO of the 4Sight Group, shares what she’s currently learning in a season that’s forcing her to slow down and lead herself well.

We often associate self-leadership with things like discipline, and discipline with things like productivity and efficiency, but the discipline I needed to learn this month was that sometimes leading yourself means slowing down, honoring your limits and making choices that you don’t enjoy.

There’s a conversation in the new movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” in which the journalist Lloyd asks Fred Rogers’ wife Joanne this question: “What’s it like to live with a saint?” She replies that she doesn’t like that word because it implies that what Mr. Rogers does and who he is unattainable. She said that what Fred does is a PRACTICE that he works on every day. Isn’t that a perfect picture of leading yourself well in the area of discipline and the incredible impact it can have on others?

“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Our actions as leaders speak more loudly than our words. Those we lead and influence will be evaluating our actions, and they will never fully know our hearts.

Actions speak louder than our intentions. Our leadership will be evaluated by what we do, not what we intend.

Disciplined moments are lonely moments, but these are the moments that build the foundation of influence.

4 Habits of a Disciplined Leader

Set goals in all areas of life: personal, professional, family and fun

Disciplined leaders organize their lives to reflect what they value most.

Take Initiative

Disciplined leaders can be trusted to do what they say they’ll do.

Know When to Say No

Disciplined leaders are hyper-aware of the tendency of urgent issues to overtake their lives, and they have the courage to step up and retake control rather than becoming a victim to the tyranny of the urgent.

Be Clear on What Only You can Do

Disciplined leaders know that when everyone plays their respective part to the best of their ability, the whole team is better.

If you'd like to take a step toward developing the type of self-awareness we talked about today, we have a great FREE resource that I'd love to get into your hands. It's called the 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership Assessment, and you can get your copy by simply texting 4Sight to (773) 770-4377 for this free download. In addition, you'll receive our weekly Leadership Insights that will continue to help you on your journey as thriving leader.

Also, check out Jenni’s book The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership!

We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us:

Review us on Apple podcasts
Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!