Most people think of leadership as a hierarchical relationship between the ones who lead and the ones who follow. This might be the expression of a kind of leadership, but it is not all there is to leadership.

In fact, leadership must begin with the leadership of the Self.

A leader must necessarily be the one who is a bit ahead of the pack in terms of knowledge; he must also be one who is willing to lead himself to new heights at all times. This means that an effective leader must already exhibit or be willing to develop the following qualities:

1. Possess a big appetite for learning. Leaders must be lifetime learners. This learning includes not just cognitive or cerebral learning but also learning that shapes who you are.

2.  Accept the fact that you are a work-in-progress. As you recognize that you have not arrived or reached maximum capacity, you're more teachable and you are less likely to surrender to the fear of making mistakes. When I first got out of graduate business school, I felt the pressure to prove that I knew what I was doing. This mindset kept me from seizing opportunities to learn and being honest with myself. Most Asian cultures assign a great deal of significance to educational achievement. Holding a degree from a reputable university is a good start, but it is only a start. Your learning begins when you get into the workplace.

3.  Demonstrate enough humility to learn from those you lead. While you may be the leader of the pack, those you lead have knowledge that you don't have. Your humility to learn from them not only allows you to add to your knowledge bank but also creates a bond between you and the ones you lead.

4.  Be prepared to experiment. When you treat leadership as an adventure, you will feel more freedom to receive and experiment with new ideas.

5.  Show readiness to change behaviors. You'll grow in your effectiveness as a leader a view demonstrates an openness to change. Leadership is about relationships. When you open to change to make relationships work, you will be more effective in mobilizing and motivating the people you lead.

What is your idea of leadership? What are your feelings about self-development? What have you found to be the best practices in self-leadership?

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