For so long we have heard the aphorism – take one step backward to move two steps forward.
To many, retreating carries a negative connotation since they immediately associate it with failure. But, this is not about failure. Rather, it is about an individual who commits a misstep that leads him/her in the wrong direction. Travelling one step backward at this juncture can actually work in one’s favour since s/he is afforded an opportunity to acquire critical lessons to move forward again. Learning the intended lessons then may help her/him advance at a rapid pace or establish that critical foundation s/he lacks to prevent her/himself from making unnecessary mistakes in the future.
Given that 202 million individuals were unemployed globally at the end of 2013 and losing over $38 trillion in the recent economic crisis suggests that our leaders, collectively, have overlooked constructing the all important foundation of effective personal leadership. Without a proper foundation, leaders, unfortunately, do not have a reference point to draw from to think and make sound decisions and remain resolute during trying and tempting times. As a result, they sometimes find themselves engaging in wrongdoings and committing errors that end up severely costing them and those who rely on their leadership. To compound this dilemma, organizations also appear to offer leadership development courses that center on helping people become better managers and enhancing their technical abilities rather than aiming to generate personal or public leaders. We, as a result, find ourselves being overmanaged and underled at the most inconvenient time.
A new approach therefore needs to be considered – one that calls for individuals to become powerful personal leaders before embarking on a path of public leadership. Effective personal leadership, among other things, encourages people to deeply examine and truly understand themselves so that they can make the right decisions — those that benefit not only themselves but also others they lead. Self-leadership also teaches people to be more understanding, compassionate and mindful of others as they learn more about themselves, their values and evolve into personal leaders. In addition, personal leadership trains people to make more sensitive, logical, egoless, comprehensive and effective decisions and judgments. Further, people will realize how they want to be treated by their leaders when they are not in positions of leadership as they assess their own experiences while serving under their bosses.
The five key behaviors that allow individuals to become effective personal leaders, which in turn, leads them to becoming excellent public leaders include:
1) Becoming Deeply Self-Aware
2) Writing About, Evaluating and Reviewing Harsh Experiences
3) Tending to the Health of Your Mind, Body and Spirit
4) Developing A Written Course of Action Toward Improvement
5) Persevering The key benefits of these behaviors include learning how to
The key benefits of these behaviors include learning how to 1) become strongly aware and to look inward for guidance; 2) become skillful at taking bad experiences and turning them into positive learning and growth opportunities; 3) improve focus on mind, body, and spirit; 4) make a written plan for improvement (which has been shown to increase your chances of success by 42%); and 5) persevere. Additionally, these behaviors also can be used throughout a person’s life at any age or stage.
The question that remains is how can we put an end to past public leadership failures once and for all and begin to move forward? Needless to say, we can start by committing ourselves to first becoming effective personal leaders. When each of us individually strives to become that effectual self-leader, then we will begin to make quality decisions that benefit not only ourselves but also everyone around us. Once this type of thinking and acting becomes the foundation of a person’s core, then s/he will be in a position to transfer and exercise the fundamental principles when s/he graduates to public leadership. We can then have more effective, genuine, and trustworthy public leaders to minimize the consequences of or prevent severe turmoil altogether.
As we know, a leader has the power to change lives, but if this privilege is misused then a leader can do just as much, or more, damage as good. Given all the events we have experienced in recent years and the demanding and complex world in which we operate, having a robust foundation gives us the needed confidence to prevent any self-induced turmoil from repeating in our individual and shared future. It helps then to heed the maxim take one step backward to move two steps forward and prudently choose the correct path to leadership.
Today, we literally find ourselves standing at the crossroads. We can either continue our inadequate, traditional ways or employ a sensible approach to leadership development by becoming effective personal leaders first. Our collective future rests on the decision each person will make. Which direction will you take?
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Author information
Alpesh Fadia
Alpesh Fadia is an accomplished business and human potential consultant. He possesses over 20 years of experience in corporate and management consulting by holding positions with Big 4 firms (Accenture, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte), Panasonic, and as an independent practitioner.
Over the course of his career, he has served clients in industries ranging from High Tech to Financial Services and Insurance to Hospitality. Alpesh’s career has been marked by advising and assisting organizations in becoming world class customer driven companies by aligning client firm’s leadership, organizational culture, business process and technology disciplines. In addition, he was highly instrumental in large-scale business transformations that enabled him to witness leadership skills and organizational culture transformation firsthand. His work with a diverse range of companies, projects, and people allowed him opportunities to serve and observe various leaders in action at all levels.
During his career, he has not only focused on developing customer and growth strategies, but also extensively on individual and organizational transformation through coaching (staff to C-Level executives), team dynamics and effectiveness, and leadership, team and cultural assessments for a number of Fortune 50 and multinational clients.
Alpesh earned his Masters degree in Organizational Dynamics/Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelors in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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