LEAD THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WELL

Today I attended Leadercast Live in the Atlanta, GA area. This event was broadcast to over 20 countries and 100,000 people around the world. Over the next week I will share notes on the excellent talks that were delivered.

Below are my notes for Andy Stanley:

I have participated in every bad decision I have ever made.

You have participated in every bad decision you have ever made.

You were the mastermind behind your greatest regret.

We face our greatest challenge every day when we look in the mirror.

You won’t be a leader worth following unless you lead yourself well. Some leaders have personal lives that are a disaster and this does and/or will impact the effectiveness of their leadership. Leaders who are worth following are people who have mastered self-leadership.

None of us open ourselves up to leaders that we don’t respect.

SELF-LEADERSHIP

To be a great leader you must first lead yourself well.
Exceptional self–leadership is key to sustained influence.
Exceptional self–leadership is key to sustained performance.
Great leaders last because they lead themselves well.

3 DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE TO LEAD YOURSELF WELL

#1 I will not lie to myself even when the truth makes me feel bad about myself.

What’s worse than feeling bad about yourself is not doing something about the thing that’s bad about yourself.
You can’t lead yourself well if you are lying to yourself.
The easiest person for me to deceive is the person in the mirror.
The greatest influence over your future is the person looking back at you in the mirror. Choose to lead yourself well.

WE FACE OUR GREATEST LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE EVERY MORNING IN THE MIRROR!

Setting Standards vs. Having Rules: I told the team leaders (Kobe, Lebron, Camello, Kidd) we are going to talk about how we are going to live together, our team is not going to have any rules, we are going to have standards.

You can’t lead yourself well as long as you’re lying to yourself.
You can’t lead a liar.
You need to fire the liar.
You are a sucker for you.
We sell ourselves.
We sell ourselves on our bad decisions.
You can’t lead yourself well until you are honest with yourself.
Ask yourself this self-examining question: Why am I doing this, really?

Why am I postponing this, really?
Why am I saying this, really?
Why am I buying this really?
Why am I acting like this, really?

You owe it to yourself to know the truth about yourself.

#2 I will prioritize what I value most over what I want to do.

You cannot lead yourself well until you discover what you value most.
Where do exceptional self-leaders lead themselves?
Exceptional leaders lead themselves to what they value most, not what they want now!
I will prioritize what I value most over what I want now!
You are going to want desert but value health. Opt for ultimate over the immediate.
What do I value most?
What you want now is rarely what you value most. (Desert, New Car, Not to Exercise)
You cannot be an exceptional leader until you determine what you value most.
Most people don’t discover what they value most until it is too late.
Decide today, you will prioritize what you value over what you want now.
How do we discover what we value most?
What do you want said about you at the end.
Stephen Covey: What would you want people to say at your funeral?

What would you want a mother or father to say?

What would you want your spouse to say?

What would you want your children to say?

What would you want your friends to say?

What would you want your co-workers to say?

This is your personal definition of success.
It is depressing to get to the end and realize it is too late to reach it.
Opt for ultimate over immediate.

EXCEPTIONAL SELF LEADERS LEAD THEMSELVES NOT TOWARD WHAT THEY WANT NOW, BUT TOWARD WHAT THEY VALUE MOST.

#3 I will not attempt to lead myself by myself.

You can’t lead yourself by yourself.
Our friends determine the direction and quality of our lives.
Your greatest regrets were with friends, people who supported your decisions.
You don’t simply need friends with common interest. You need to find friends who share common values.
Self-leadership is value driven.
The values a person embraces determines the direction of their life.
This truth doesn’t end when our teenage years end. It goes on forever.
Find those who share your values, not your interests.
You may need to disconnect from a friend or two.
Ultimate can be threatening to those who have opted for immediate.
We want you to end up somewhere on purpose!
Lead the person in the mirror well.
You have the option to control your future by leading yourself well.
Direction, not intention, determines destination.

The person in the mirror is counting on you!

Perhaps, there are smaller faces in smaller mirrors counting on you as well.

The greatest influence over your future is looking back at you in the mirror. Choose to lead yourself well!

There is only one person in this world who can determine if you end up somewhere on purpose.

Everybody ends up somewhere, end up there on purpose.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Autem dolore, alias, numquam enim ab voluptate id quam harum ducimus cupiditate similique quisquam et deserunt, recusandae.