What Does Self-Knowledge Have to do with Self-Leadership?

If self-leadership is the foundation of great leadership, then self-knowledge is the foundation of self-leadership.

In my previous article on self-leadership, I highlighted the importance of taking ownership of leading ourselves especially in the times we are in, and I shared a simple framework with three powerful questions. Here is the article in case you haven’t read it. In this article I will dive deep into the first question, which is “who am I?”

If self-leadership is the foundation of great leadership, then self-knowledge is the foundation of self-leadership. Cultivating a deep understanding of who you are gives you the clarity to understand the reality and to envision what is possible for you and where you can leave your mark.

“If self-leadership is the foundation of great leadership, then self-knowledge is the foundation of self-leadership.”

So what type of self-knowledge is worth exploring and reflecting on for self-leadership? And how does one go about exploring?

Three categories of Self-knowledge for Great Leadership

Three broad categories of self-knowledge that I think are worth spending time on are

1. Understanding your personal guiding principles. These include your values, your why and your true north.

2. Knowing when and where you shine as an individual, what your talents and your gifts are and which environments bring-out and spotlight them, (

3. Identifying your performance styles especially when it comes to your leadership style, communication style and your interpersonal strengths.

Three broad categories of self-knowledge worth spending time on

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom.” Aristotle

Defining your guiding principles is going to require you to spend time alone and reflect on your own; knowledge of your strengths and understanding where and when you shine, however, will require that you do some tests and assessment as well as request feedback from those you interact and work with.

In my future articles I will explore some ways I find helpful in identifying my personal guiding principles and performance styles. For now, I want to share few questions I found very important and helpful in understanding where and when I shine. I learned these from Peter Drucker’s book on Managing Oneself (I have read this book 3 times and highly recommend it). Here are the five questions to reflect on.

1. Am I a reader or a listener?

2. Do I learn by reading or by writing?

3. Do I work well with people or am I a loner? If with people, in what relationship? i.e. as a subordinate or as a team member, as a coach or as a mentor?

4. Do I perform well under stress? Or do I need highly structured and predictable environment?

5. Do I produce results as a decision-maker or as an advisor?

These questions have been tremendously helpful to me in my unending journey of identifying when and how I shine. What about you? Have you reflected on these or other questions to learn about yourself? What question would you add to these?

Ps: This is blog 2 of self-leadership series where we will be sharing series of articles on self-leadership to expand on this framework, share resources, and take you on step by step journey to self-leadership.