Very few topics elicit the kind of attention that “Leadership” does. Yet, it remains plausibly the most difficult concepts to grasp. This is one reason why so many books on leadership get written every year, again and again. In spite of the vast literature available, few books make an impact. One such exception is “Lead Yourself First”.
Leadership is one of society’s fundamental challenges. Too many people have written about the lack of leaders at every level and the urgent need to develop them. While most advocate a call for turning others into leaders, very few indicate that good leaders create themselves, principally by leading themselves. And, how they do this, is beautifully rendered in this book by Ray and Mike. They show how leading oneself is the foundation to leading others. But what is leading oneself?
One widely used definition of self-leadership provides a hint: “leading oneself toward performance of naturally motivating tasks as well as managing oneself to do work that must be done but is not naturally motivating” (Manz, 1986, p. 589). It appears that, “to do what one ought to do”, especially in the face of adversity, is the essence of leading oneself. When one has not mastered self-leadership, leading others is more dangerous than not leading at all. How does one lead oneself ?
Based on five years of research, on both contemporary and historical leaders, Raymond Kethledge (a judge) and Michael Erwin (a combat veteran) find that the central foundation to good self-leadership is solitude. They define solitude as “a subjective state of mind, in which the mind, isolated from input from other minds, works through a problem on its own.” They believe that finding this space where one can focus on their own thoughts without distraction, helps bring the mind and the soul together, and build clear-eyed conviction. The world needs more leaders with principled convictions. Developing this requires embracing silence. While it is easy to understand the difficulty of finding quiet time for reflection in today’s hyperconnected world, the authors showcase why doing this may be the only solution we have to solve complex challenges.
Using interviews with several contemporary leaders (a few you may have heard about, many not), and historical cases (Eisenhover, Goodall, Lawrence, Lincoln, Grant, Suu Kyi, Churchill, King, and Pope John Paul II), they wonderfully present how embracing solitude enhances: clarity (both analytical and intuitive); creativity; emotional balance (through acceptance, catharsis and magnanimity); and moral courage. Finding solitude, and spending time in reflection, helps leaders develop their own first principles without losing one’s dignity by conformance. The choice of cases, the writing style, and the conceptual abstractions are all equally engaging.
Entrepreneurs are leaders. They have to lead others, and before that they have to learn to lead themselves. While entrepreneurship education teaches entrepreneurs to embrace opportunity, uncertainty and manage teams, it leaves a gnawing gap when it comes to self-leadership. In fact, they need self-leadership most desperately. In my opinion, this book is fills this great need for entrepreneurs.
Thanks Ray and Mike for a great contribution. All those who wish to make change happen need self-leadership and every one of them will find this book a soulful and thought provoking read. I am sure it will also spur action.
Reference: Kethledge, R., & Erwin, M. (2017). Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude. New York, USA: Bloomsbury Publishing.
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