Leading Yourself
Have you ever been around someone who you could tell was a good leader by how they engaged those around them? Many times we think of leaders as being extroverted, assertive, outspoken individuals. I have studied and walked with leaders for many years and I want to challenge that line of thinking. I have found that there are attributes, characteristics, and behaviors that strong leaders exhibit on a personal as well as professional level that are different from what you may think.
I have boiled down these traits to one word… GRIT. I am not referring to the popular, tiny white grain that is eaten in the South. I am referring to an acronym that defines what an excellent leader looks like.
GRIT stands for: Get over yourself; Run toward the hard thing; Inspire others; Take time for your growth and renewal.
Leading yourself and others well is important to all of us. When we choose to become a person of GRIT we will make a difference.
Larry Little
Eagle Center for Leadership
Passion shows up in how leaders approach their work. It is visible in their focus, their presence, and their consistency. That presence is built through personal habits, mindset, and daily choices.
Leading yourself means managing your time, energy, and attention with purpose. It includes the routines you rely on, especially under pressure. It also includes how you reset after setbacks and stay aligned with what matters most.
Many leaders struggle to sustain passion because their daily patterns are reactive or fragmented. Leading yourself well creates space for steadiness, focus, and resilience. It allows you to bring the same level of clarity to your own decisions that you expect from others.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
The Leading Yourself module of The Areté Way explores four core practices that shape personal leadership: recognizing and responding to life and work seasons, building effective routines that support consistency, staying grounded under pressure, and leading with daily intention rather than urgency. Together, these sessions offer a practical framework for strengthening clarity, focus, and discipline in your leadership. Let’s get started!
Leading Yourself Skills Self-Assessment
Below, you will encounter a series of statements related to Leading Yourself. Please rate your agreement with each statement using the following Likert scale:
1 - Strongly Disagree: I struggle significantly with this aspect of Leading Myself.
2 - Disagree: I have some difficulty with this aspect of Leading Myself.
3 - Neutral: I am neither particularly skilled nor unskilled in this aspect of Leading Myself.
4 - Agree: I am proficient and generally successful in this aspect of Leading Myself..
5 - Strongly Agree: I excel at this aspect of Leading Myself.
