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Unit 3: Chapter 5

Self Leadership
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 Outcomes
•Reflect on self-leadership by examining its concepts, key skills, and strategies to address
personal and professional challenges.

 Demonstrate Self Leadership through the enhancement of Self Leadership skills and strategies
 Define what is meant by Self Leadership
 Explain the three self-leadership skills
 Analyse your destructive thoughts that may influence your performance or relationships
 Examine the unproductive behaviours that influence your performance or relationships
 Apply self-leadership strategies to overcome destructive thoughts and unproductive behaviours
• Apply the Fundamental State of Leadership framework to overcome pivotal personal or work and
leadership crises
 Topics for discussion
• Self leadership
• Thought self-leadership: how destructive thought patterns can influence
your performance and relationships
• Unproductive behaviours as obstacles to performance and healthy
relationships
• Applying self leadership strategies to overcome unproductive behaviours
• Fundamental state of leadership: how to overcome a pivotal crisis
 Self leadership

• Self-leadership is a process through which people influence themselves to achieve

self-direction and self-motivation necessary to perform (DiLiello & Houghton).
• Three self leader skills
1. Challenge Assumed Constraints – Self-leaders must recognize and challenge self-imposed limitations
that prevent them from achieving their goals. This involves identifying and questioning beliefs that may not
be true and finding ways to move beyond perceived barriers.
2. Activate Your Points of Power – Self-leaders must leverage different sources of power,
including position power(formal authority), task power (expertise and skills), personal power (charisma
and influence), relationship power(network and connections), and knowledge power (information and
learning). Recognizing and using these sources effectively can help individuals drive their success.
3. Be Proactive – Self-leaders must take initiative, seek opportunities, and take responsibility for their
actions and performance. This includes setting clear goals, managing their time effectively, and
continuously learning to improve their skills and adaptability.
 Activity 1
• Activity 1: Reflection: Three Self-Leadership Skills
• Blanchard (2019) identified the following three skills needed by a Self- Leader. Taken into consideration what each skill entails,
please reflect on the following:

•Challenge consumed constraints:

•Identify two consumed constraints that you believe are holding you back from achieving what you have set yourself out to achieve.

•Activate points of power:

•Blanchard (2019) identified five points of power: position power, personal power, task power, relationship power and knowledge power.

•Assume you are a waiter/waitress who works part time in a restaurant that has a specific section for VIPs. You know this section is known
for the notion that waiters receive large tips. You have worked in the restaurant for quite a few years and you know the menu and the
manager well. You want to influence the manager to move you to that section on Friday and Saturday nights to serve these VIPs. Select
two points of power that you believe you have available and that you can utilize to convince the manager of the restaurant to provide you
with the opportunity.
 Activity 1
•Be proactive:

•Assume that the manager did allow you to work in the VIP section. After a few
months you realize that you actually enjoy working in the restaurant and that
you would one day like to manage one of the other franchises of which the
restaurant forms part of. By making use of proactive behaviour, what can you
do to ensure that you will be ready for such an opportunity in the future?
THOUGHT SELF-LEADERSHIP: HOW DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS
CAN INFLUENCE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND RELATIONSHIPS

• Neck, Smith, and Godwin (1992, p. 194) distinguish between ‘obstacle

thinking’ and ‘opportunity thinking’:
• Opportunity thinking involves a pattern of thoughts which focus on
opportunities, worthwhile challenges and constructive ways of dealing with
challenging situations.
• Obstacle thinking, on the other hand, involves a focus on the negative
aspects (the obstacles) involved in challenging situations – for example,
reasons to give up and retreat from problems.
 THOUGHT SELF-LEADERSHIP: HOW DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS CAN
INFLUENCE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND RELATIONSHIPS

•To purposefully influence negative or destructive thoughts patterns requires

three components:

 Confront beliefs and assumptions

 Have internal dialogues (self-talk)

 Create appropriate mental images

THOUGHT SELF-LEADERSHIP: HOW DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS
CAN INFLUENCE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND RELATIONSHIPS

1. CONFRONT BELIEFS AND ASSUMPTIONS

•Personal effectiveness can be hindered by ineffective thinking.

•Ineffective thinking is often caused by cognitive distortions.

•Distorted thoughts are based on some common dysfunctional beliefs that are
activated by potentially troubling or disturbing situations.
 SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES

1. Manage your thought patterns

2. Manage your behaviour

3. Create natural reward strategies to motivate yourself

MANAGE YOUR THOUGHT PATTERNS
 APPLICATION OF SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES:
MANAGE YOUR THOUGHT PATTERNS

• Difference between thinking (ongoing process) and thoughts (result

of the thinking process)
• Thoughts originate collectively (language is collective)
• Most of the assumptions we hold were acquired from a pool of
culturally accepted assumptions
• Many thoughts are collective thoughts – rooted in unquestioned
assumptions
• Must be able to distance your thoughts from collective thoughts in
order to examine it

Bohm; Senge (1990; 1995)

Hierarchy vs Old
DNA New leadership
System leadership
UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN THINKING AND
THOUGHTS

POOL OF CULTURAL INDIVIDUAL

THOUGHTS ASSUMPTIONS
 INCOHERENCE IN OUR THOUGHTS
(Bohm)

Three types of incoherence:

1. Thought denies that it is participative
2. Thought stops tracking reality and just goes automatically (like a train)
3. Thought establishes its own standard of reference for fixing problems – problems to
which it contributed in the creation thereof in the first place (default position)
• Thinking is difficult therefore we opt to judge (Carl Jung)
• Our thinking influence our perception of ourselves and of others
ROLE OF POWER IN THOUGHT PATTERNS
• Thought patterns are
often influenced by
your perception of
power and power
relations
• “How do I see myself in
relation to you?”
• “How your perceptions
of me and my position
impact on the image that
I have of myself”
• Lead me to feeling either
inferior or superior in
relation to others
”
STEREOTYPE

Fixed, distorted generalization about

members of a group

PREJUDICE

Processing stereotypes in such a way as to

reinforce one’s own sense of superiority
 LIFE POSITIONS
• I’m okay, you are not okay
• I’m not okay, you are okay
• I’m not okay’ you are not okay
• I’m okay and you are okay

Power imbalance foster distrust

 DYSFUNCTIONAL BELIEFS/THOUGHTS

• All or nothing thinking. Things are seen as black or white (for example, if total perfection is not achieved then a
perception of complete failure results).
• Over-generalization. A specific failure or negative result is generalized as an endless pattern.
• Mental filter. A single negative detail is dwelled on, thus distorting all other aspects of one’s perception of reality.
• Disqualifying the positive. Even if something positive is experienced, it is mentally disqualified from having any
relevance or importance.
• Mind reading. Drawing negative conclusions regarding situations, despite a lack of concrete evidence to support
these conclusions.
• Fortune telling. Arbitrarily predicting that things will turn out badly.
• Magnifying and minimizing. Exaggerating the importance of negative factors and minimizing the importance of
positive factors related to one’s situation.
• Emotional reasoning. Interpreting reality based on the negative emotions one experiences.
• Should statements. Statements in one’s self-talk such as “should” and “shouldn’t”, and “ought” and “must” are
used to coerce or manipulate oneself into taking actions.
• Labelling and mislabelling. Describing oneself, others, or an event with negative labels (for example, “I’m a
failure”, “he is a cheat”).
• Personalization. Identifying oneself (blaming oneself) as the cause of negative events or outcomes that one is not
primarily responsible for causing.
 WHAT CREATES DYSFUNCTIONAL THOUGHTS?

• These perceptions can be caused by external or internal triggers

• The trigger activates an emotion in you (complex)
• Examples: ‘Importance complex’ (titles) Situated in inferiority/‘golden child’ syndrome
• ‘Money’ complex (wants to be wealthy)
• A complex is unconscious and caused by affect-laden thoughts
• It forms from a traumatic or hurtful experiences (e.g. rejection)
• Neurological paths form: Unconscious thoughts run and leads to dysfunctional thoughts
(not healthy)
• It leads to feelings and an inner reaction of either : ‘fight’ (anger, superiority), ‘flight’
(overwhelm, avoid; withdrawal; excluded, inferiority)
 DYSFUNCTIONAL THINKING

• What do you feed your brain?

• 87 – 95% of diseases are a result
of what goes on our thought life

Van Rensburg, Eagle Wings;

Dr Caroline Leaf: Who switched off my Brian? Controlling toxic
thoughts and emotions (Communication Pathologist and a
Cognitive Neuroscientist). Specialising in neuro-psychology)
www.drleaf.net
 YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

Dr Caroline Leaf
• “A mind is not
to be changed
by place or
time, the mind
is its own place
and in itself can
make a heaven
of hell, a hell of
heaven”
John Milton
 THOUGHT SELF LEADERSHIP (TSL)
STRATEGY
• TSL is a “process of influencing or leading oneself through the
purposeful control of one’s thoughts”
• It is aimed at establishing and maintaining constructive,
desired patterns of thought
• Patterns of thought influence:
- Perceptions
- Information processing
- Decision making
 Three steps of thought-self-leadership
STEP 1: IDENTIFY
HABITUAL
THINKING WAYS OF
– All or nothing
thinking
– Overgeneralization – Emotional reasoning
– Mind – Labeling and mislabeling
reading/Fortune
telling – Personalizing
– Disqualifying the – Magnifying and minimizing
positive
STEP 2: CONFRONT
DYSFUNCTIONAL
PATTERNS
• Revise self talk
• Reduce
self negative
positive with
talk self-talks
• Increase
self-image positive
self-talk through
STEP
VISUAL 3: IMAGERY
UTILIZING
– Visualizing success
before
completedit is actually
 Activity 2
Activity 2: Group Reflection exercise: Destructive thoughts and behaviour
2.1 Think of a situation where you felt inferior to someone or others present
How did you feel?
How did you react?
2.2 Think of a situation where you felt superior to someone or others present
How did you feel?
How did you react?
2.3 Think of a situation when you felt excluded within a specific group
How did you feel
How did you react?
• Share your experiences within your group and discuss the implications thereof in terms of your
behaviour and relationships.
 Activity 3
• Activity 3: Self-reflection: Destructive thoughts

•Identify and reflect on your own negative/destructive (e.g. judgemental) thoughts that influence
your effectiveness with regards to your studies/work or your relationships for a period of 5–8
days.

•Record these thoughts and behaviours daily in your journal. At the end of the period, try to
identify certain patterns in your thoughts that repeat (e.g. judgemental thoughts) and that
hampers your effectiveness or relationships.

•On the basis of the classification of destructive thinking patterns above, please label these
destructive thoughts (e.g. fortune telling) that you tend to exercise the most
 Activity 4
•Activity 4: Self-reflection: Application of self-leadership strategies: Destructive thought
patterns

•Select two of your destructive thought patterns that you have identified above.

- Apply revised self-talk and/or mental imagery to assist you to change these destructive
thought patterns into more constructive thoughts that will enhance your performance or
relationships.
- Apply these strategies for a period of 6–8 days to each one of these destructive thought
patterns. Record them in your journal and evaluate how successful the application thereof was
in terms of changing these thoughts and behaviours.
 Activity 5
•Activity 5: Self-reflection: Identification of unproductive behaviours

1. Identify and reflect on your own unproductive behaviours (e.g.

procrastination) that influence your effectiveness for a period of 5–8 days.
• Record these behaviours daily in your journal. At the end of the period, try to
identify certain patterns in your behaviours that repeat (e.g. procrastination)
and that hampers your effectiveness.
MANAGING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS
BEHAVIOURAL-FOCUSED STRATEGIES
Self-observation: Identify destructive behaviours: Awareness why,
how, when you display certain unproductive
behaviours (solicit feedback from others)
Goal-setting Overcome unproductive behaviour: Set and

implement challenging personal goals with a

strong motivating effect on individual performance

Self-rewarding Reinforce desirable behaviour and goal

attainments through something tangible

Self-punishment Use to shape desirable behaviour
Behavioural rehearsal Prior to actual performance can promote
refinement, improvement and adjustments
APPLICATION OF SELF-LEADERSHIP
NATURAL REWARD STRATEGIES
• How can make the task itself more rewarding in
order to increase my motivation to complete it
timely and successfully?
• How can I focus my attention away from the
unpleasant aspects of the task and make it more
enjoyable?
“The only way to do great work is
to love what you do.”
—Steve Jobs
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP
STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
NATURAL REWARD STRATEGIES
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS
Work context strategies:
• Manipulating the work context in order to maximize intrinsic
motivation (WHERE and WHEN work is performed)
• Performance of mundane or tedious tasks can be enhanced by
selecting an aesthetically pleasing environment in which to work
• Choose a social environment that is conducive to task
enjoyment, e.g. perform mundane, well-learned tasks in
presence of others
Task performance process strategies:
• Recognize HOW (instead of where or with whom) work is
performed in order to affect its intrinsically motivating properties
• Natural reward elements of work include feelings of
competence, self-control, and purpose (i.e. noticing
improvements in own proficiency)
• The reward is in the feeling of competence, self-control and
purpose
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS

Job crafting strategies refers to:

 Physical and cognitive changes an individual make in their task and relational boundaries (Bakker, 2021)
 Self-initiated changes that employees make in their own job demands and job resources to attain
and/or optimize their personal (work) goals
 Playful redesign can be done by not changing the task, but changing your perception/approach towards it
 Designing fun and/or competition into the task (e.g. break time records; end every conversation with
humor in call centres, etc).

 Job crafting strategies refers to any changes an individual makes related to the task and/or relational
boundaries of the job and include: Task crafting, Cognitive crafting, Relationship crafting
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS

•TASK CRAFTING

•Job–related changes that result in a different number, scope or type of job tasks

•Examples:

o Take on additional tasks because you find them interesting

o Develop yourself professionally
o Creating innovative practices
o Reducing number of tasks/work load
o Adapt your schedule to reduce non-critical tasks
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS

•COGNITIVE CRAFTING

•Changing the way you view the job, which changes how you approach your job.

•Examples:

o See your job as a meaningful whole that have a meaningful impact instead of a collection
of separate tasks
o Emphasize the positive aspects of your work
o Focus on the impact of your job on other peoples’ lives
o Reframe the purpose of your work to align it with your passions
APPLYING SELF LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME
UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS

•RELATIONSHIP CRAFTING

•Involves initiatives to change the quality and/or quantity of interactions with others at work

•Examples:

o Increase social support resources

o Creating and building additional relationships

o Altering the quality of your interaction with certain role players

o Engage more with others (e.g. clients)
• Cut down on meetings or socialization with others if needed
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: HOW TO OVERCOME A
PIVOTAL CRISIS

• Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of

Leadership
• How to lead when we encounter a crisis or when we are faced with
a significant leadership / personal challenge – and choose to move
forward
• Operating in a state of mind that is true to you, based on your values
and philosophy
• To elevate the performance of others, we need to elevate ourselves
into the fundamental state of leadership
FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: HOW TO OVERCOME A
PIVOTAL CRISIS
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: HOW TO OVERCOME A
PIVOTAL CRISIS

FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: FOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK AND ANSWER TO ASSIST US TO

OVERCOME A PIVOTAL CHALLENCE

1. What result do I want to create?

(Am I willing to leave my comfort zone to make things happen?)
2. How can I become internally directed?
(Am I behaving according to my values rather than bending to social and political pressures?)
3. How can I become other-focused and not self-focused?
(Am I putting the collective good above my own needs?)
4. How could I become externally open?
(Am I receptive to outside stimuli that may signal the need for change? Move from controlling our
environment to learning from it)
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: HOW TO
OVERCOME A PIVOTAL CRISIS

Example
PIVOTAL CRISIS:
• Division did not make profit
• Senior management assured staff that their jobs are safe
• One day - urgent meeting - retrenchments
FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: Example

• Two groups:

Retrenched vs. Not Retrenched

Go slow ve
ey would lea
wish th
More )
(friends
stress guil t

Negativity
− Tension
− Person A in the middle
• How to handle the situation
 1. FROM COMFORT CENTRED TO
RESULTS ORIENTED

Become more results-orientated

• When you identify/formulate the results that you want to create, you do NOT focus
on how or what you are going to do, but on what you would ideally like to ACHIEVE
after the crisis/challenge has been solved
• Look beyond the crisis to see what are the ideal results you would like to achieve
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: Example

Become more results-orientated

• Ask: What are the results that I want to create?
1. When the storm is settled: I still want to remain friends with soon ex-colleagues
2. I want the team that is going to remain to get back to being motivated, enthusiastic
3. I did not want the negativity to spill over to patients. They have enough to deal with.
Keep up excellent standard of health service
 2. FROM EXTERNALLY DIRECTED TO
INTERNALLY DIRECTED

• We tend to comply with social pressures in order to avoid conflict and remain
connected with our co-workers
• Yet, we end up feeling less connected because conflict avoidance results in political
compromise. We lose our uniqueness and sense of integrity (political peace)
• To become Internally Directed, you need to operate from your core values
• Finding motivation from within
• Feeling self-empowered
• Expressing what you really believe
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: Example

How I became more internally directed

• As a professional carer for terminally ill patients – need to look after the interest of
the patients (my professional values as set out by HPCSA)
• We chose the profession to look after and take care of patients, not to work for a
certain company
• Began by being honest with myself and staff
• We cannot take care of patients if caught up in this tragedy (took charge, based on
personal / professional values; being authentic)
 3. FROM SELF-FOCUSED TO FOCUS ON OTHERS

• Other focus means you put the needs of the team/organization above our own
• Focus on all stakeholders involved or who will be affected by the crisis
• Sacrificing personal interest for the common good
• Seeing the potential in everyone
• Empathize with people’s needs
• Engage in participative conversation
• Empathy increases, cohesion follows and tighter and sensitive bonds are formed
• An enriched sense of community is created
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: Example

How I became more focused on others

• Expressed my regret at the situation
• Acknowledge retrenched staff’s feelings / anger
• Expressed my sadness over what happened
• Allowed staff to express their discontent but, in an appropriate manner & time (focus
on their feelings) and what they need
• Acknowledged how difficult it also is for those not retrenched to deal with this
• Remind them of their purpose / values and what are professionally important to them
• Focussed on remaining patient centric in all we do on a daily basis (myself and
others)
 4. FROM INTERNALLY CLOSED TO
EXTERNALLY OPEN

• When we are internally closed, we become defensive and are in a state of denial when
dramatic changes are called for– a mode of self-protection and self-deception
• If we are externally open, we are more aware, more adaptive
• Inviting feedback from others
• Paying deep attention to what is unfolding
• Watching for new opportunities
• Engaging in creative conversations
 FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP: Example

How I became more externally opened

• Listening more to those that I worked with
• Help others to see the opportunities; not to be defensive
• Stayed open to outside signals; such as issues that may effect the financial viability of
the division
• Create alternative ways with senior management and staff to be financially more viable
• Summary: Through this process I achieved all 3 my results
 RESULTS ACHIEVED THROUGH THIS PROCESS

• I still remained friends with my ex-colleagues and the two groups started to support
each other emotionally
• The negativity did not spill over to patients due to the openness that was
established between those who had to leave and those who stayed.
• Excellent standard of health service was still provided as the group that was going
to leave assisted the other group with patient care
• We started to have more regular meetings and conversations to discuss how we
can be cost effective without compromising on patient care. We took the
responsibility to be financially viable as a unit, upon ourselves
 Activity 6
•Activity 6: Self-reflection: Identification of applicable self-leadership
strategies: Unproductive behaviour

1. Select and apply appropriate self-leadership strategies (i.e. behavioural-

focused strategies, natural rewards strategies, job crafting) for a period of 6
– 8 days to each one of these unproductive behaviours.
• Record them in your journal and evaluate how successful the application
thereof was in terms of changing these thoughts and behaviours.
 Activity 7
•Activity 7: Self-reflection exercise: Evaluation of the application of self-leadership
strategies

•Discuss in your groups your experience with regard to keeping a diary, by doing the following:

1. Explain the patterns of destructive thoughts and unproductive behaviours that you identified,

2. the implications thereof for your effectiveness (studies/work) or relationships

3. the self-leadership strategies that you have implemented to overcome

• these destructive thoughts and unproductive behaviours

 Activity 8
Activity 8: Group activity: Application of the Fundamental State of Leadership framework

Scenario:
•You are a family of six living together in the same house. The family includes your grandmother,
mother, father and three children (17 years, 12 years and 7 years old). You are the oldest of the three
children. You all attend a very prestigious school in the local community and both your father and
mother are well-known and loved members of the community. Both your parents occupy very
demanding and high-profile jobs. Your father is the Chief Financial Officer in a private company and
your mother is an assistant director at a state-owned company.
•Your father received a call from the School Principal today.
•Your 12-year-old brother was caught selling hard drugs at school and may be expelled. Your family
members, including you, have no idea how this could have happened.
•How will you use the Fundamental State of Leadership framework to assist your family to overcome
this challenge to the betterment of all involved?
 Activity 8
Discuss the following and reach consensus in your group:
• What is the pivotal crisis?
• How can you become more results centred? (What do you want to achieve at the
end of the crises?)
• How can you become more internally directed? (What personal
values/philosophy/ethical principles will drive your actions)?
• How can you become more focused on others? (who are the other stakeholders in
this situation? How can you also include their needs/expectations?) (e.g. protecting
your reputation versus others)
• How can you become more externally open? What do you need to watch out for
(signs or red lights to prevent such a situation again)?