Self-leadership is the foundation of a leader’s work, and it builds on self-development and self-knowledge. Experienced leaders bring confidence to their work, but that confidence can also make them blind. Leaders need feedback to grow, yet it can be hard to come by. Leaders, too, need support, feedback and a push beyond their comfort zone to keep growing.
Self-leadership, growth and development require a leader to step outside their comfort zone. This calls for self-reflection, but also for sincere and direct feedback from others. Strengthening a leader’s development and self-knowledge often takes more than feedback. It also takes outside sparring and putting yourself in situations beyond your comfort zone.
Experience does not make a bad leader. Quite the opposite. But experience carries a risk: the leader’s own growth can stall. Experienced leaders often start handling certain familiar situations routinely, drawing on what they have done before. Neuroscience calls this phenomenon automatic processing. In everyday language, we call it autopilot. When an experienced leader runs on autopilot, they optimise and work efficiently, but they stop developing.
How does automatic processing develop? Why do others see it when the leader does not, and why can it be so harmful? Read: The leader who knows already!It is not always easy for a leader to find someone to spar with or share their thoughts with, unfiltered. The board evaluates, colleagues may compete, and at home people don’t know the background of the work. Where does a leader find peer support, guidance or feedback, and who can they share their thoughts with, with brutal frankness? Often, this has to be found outside the organisation, for example in a mentor or an executive coach.
Read more about why it matters so much for a leader to find someone they can talk to openly, and whether AI can act as a leader’s sparring partner!
It can be difficult for a leader to recognise habits that have become routine. Self-reflection has its place, but it is easy to become blind to your own behaviour. That is when an outside sparring partner or coach is worth their weight in gold. Leaders also need feedback and someone they can speak with directly and without sugar-coating. Someone to test ideas with, who has no hidden agenda.
Many leaders benefit from executive coaching. A neutral, external coaching professional can help a leader see what they cannot see themselves and offer valuable thinking partnership. Coaching provides a safe space to explore issues from different angles and to have your own beliefs challenged.
Find out more about Juuriharja’s executive coaching services!