The Principle of Three in Leadership: Lead Myself, Lead My People, Lead My Mission

Leadership is often portrayed as a position of authority, but true leadership begins long before you influence others or drive organizational goals. It starts with a simple yet profound principle: I need to lead my people, I need to lead my mission, but first, I must lead myself.

This principle is rooted in personal responsibility, a concept we see neglected every day, which I recently wrote about, “Personal Responsibility: The Foundation of Leadership.” Why do so many leaders fail? They fail to lead themselves, and as a result, they cannot effectively lead people, teams, their families, companies or clarify their mission. Let us take this one step further and that is into the generational shift that is upon us today. Increasingly Gen Y and Z are in the workforce and/or in college or professional sport (Projected that the American workforce would be 75% of these generations by 2025). What do these generations desire more than any other generation?

• 87% of Gen Y/Z employees value access to personal development and clear career advancement opportunities.

• They prioritize mentorship, leadership development, and succession planning as critical factors for staying engaged and committed.

Gen Y and Z want leaders who are coaches, not commanders, leaders who guide, empower, and inspire rather than dictate, they desire dialogue. Again, this context allows us to see the absolute urgency needed from leaders and managers today no matter what space you work within.

It is time to Lead Myself, Lead My People and Lead My Mission.

Let’s break down these three pillars:

1. Lead Myself

Before you can inspire others, you must master self-leadership. This means:

• Self-awareness: Understand your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and triggers.

• Discipline: Consistently align actions with values and goals. Do I make decisions daily, weekly, etc. that align here?

• Emotional Intelligence: Manage your emotions and respond thoughtfully under pressure, known as Self-Management.

If you lack clarity in your own life, how can you provide clarity for others? Leading yourself sets the tone for everything else.

2. Lead My People

Leadership is not about control, but about influence and trust. To lead people:

• Build relationships: Trust is the foundation of any team. Been on a few teams and can share…there is NO team you’d want to be a part of without TRUST.

• Communicate clearly: People need direction and purpose. So often I see and hear “execute” or a real focus on the “execution” component yet skipping over what I call the Vision and Alignment segments. We need to ensure that we explore the Vision and Alignment thoroughly prior to jumping into the Execution. 

• Empower others: Delegate, coach, and develop talent. What talent do you have? Play a role in fostering and growing that talent. Talented players don’t turn into great players without someone coaching, developing and staying curious with them.

  • Thinking back on times when I grew the most…was possible due to the coaching I was receiving.

    
    

Your people will only follow you if they believe in you. They will only believe in you if you have demonstrated self-leadership. Also, see and hear a lot of what I call the “answer man or answer- woman mindset,” which does not “develop or grow” people…be mindful here. It’s hard to grow if someone always gives you the answer…

3. Lead My Mission

A leader without a mission is like a ship without a compass. Leading your mission requires:

• Vision: Know where you are going and why. This vision shapes your decisions and actions. Understand and know how YOU create a Vision.

• Alignment: Ensure your team understands and owns the mission. Ensuring that people, processes, and priorities are working toward the same vision and goals. How do we build Alignment around that Vision?

• Execution: Translate strategy into disciplined action. We do not want folks who “watch the third strike…but people who are swinging.” When we are not sure or guess on the Vision and/or Alignment, you will see and feel a lot of “third strike watching.” How do we champion Execution of the Vision?

  
  

When you lead yourself and your people well, your mission becomes achievable, believable, and meaningful to NOT only you but those in your locker room or board room.

Why This Matters

Every leadership failure you read about and/or watch and hear whether in corporate business, military, politics, or sports often traces back to neglecting this principle. Leaders/managers who lack self-control or clarity cannot inspire trust or drive results. Leadership is not a title; it is a responsibility that begins within.

Call to Action:Ask yourself today:

• Am I leading myself with integrity and discipline?

• Have I created any leaders in the past 3-5 years?

• Do my people trust me enough to follow?

• Am I simply an org chart or job description leader?

• Is my mission clear, and am I living it out daily?

Start with yourself. Everything else flows from there.

#stayinthefight