Five Behaviors of Strong Personal Leaders

Strong personal leadership is necessary for strong professional leadership. Personal leadership is who you are in your most authentic form. It’s the person who looks back at you from the mirror.

I’ve worked with numerous leaders over the years and I found these five personal leadership behaviors to be consistent among the best and strongest leaders.

1.  They make decisions congruent with personal values. Strong personal leaders will make the right decision over the popular decision every time. Their personal values are foundational to the strength of their leadership. They use their values as a filter for activities, decision points and direction in life. They walk their talk everyday.

2.  They keep their commitments, both personally and professionally. Strong personal leaders know they are only as good as their word. So they make their word good by keeping their commitments whether it’s to themselves or others. They can always be counted on and that builds trust.

3.  They do more than is required. Strong personal leaders are never ones to just do the minimum. They’re committed to excellence and excellence always requires going over and above. They don’t have to, they choose to because they want whatever they’re associated with to be the best it can be.

4.  They keep moving forward. Set-backs and failure are just a fact of life. Strong personal leaders don’t allow these snags to take them out of the game. Every time they get knocked down, they get back up quickly and continue moving forward. They have a short recovery time and that is why they are so successful.

5.  They conduct personal audits. Personal audits are necessary for personal and professional development. Audits done on a regular basis alert leaders to areas where they might be slipping or simply need additional development. Without the audit, they will be unaware of potential blind spots that can derail their lives personally and professionally. “Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” ~ Margaret J. Wheatley

Strong personal leaders are committed to the behaviors and habits that make them strong.  They are the strong professional leader that others want to follow because they lead by example.