Lisa, always stressed and overworked, felt like a hamster in a wheel. After a workshop on self-leadership, she decided to make a change.
She set herself clear goals, divided large projects into small steps and motivated herself daily with a cheerful "You're rocking it, Lisa!".
She soon noticed that she was getting more done and was less stressed, which her colleagues also noticed.
Self Leadership helped Lisa to break out of the hamster wheel and make her working day more effective and enjoyable.
But what is self-leadership anyway and how can we make use of this concept in our everyday lives?
Furtner (2017) describes self-leadership as a "goal-oriented and self-influencing process for increasing personal effectiveness and performance". Simply explained: What strategies do we use to increase our performance in order to get a little closer to the goals we have set ourselves?
Every action has its origin in thoughts
One of the most important strategies in self-leadership is self-observation. It enables us to consciously perceive internal and external processes and thus gives us the opportunity to gain control over our thoughts, emotions and behaviors and steer ourselves in a positive direction.
No action without goals
Goals are a fundamental motivator for every human action. Based on self-observation, goals can be set that are strategically planned and realistic. Goals should not be set too high; people who are motivated to perform are not motivated by goals that are either too difficult or too easy to achieve. Moderately difficult goals - i.e. goals that can just about be achieved with maximum effort - are considered to be the best motivators!
A few kind words about myself
We all know it: doubt, uncertainty or lack of motivation are simply part of the journey towards a goal. We can counter these negative feelings with positive self-talk. A loud "I can do it!" just before an important event or a "I can just do it... I'm the best!" after a success can work wonders. Used regularly and repeatedly reminded, for example via post-its or reminders, they can keep obstructive thoughts at bay and reduce the risk of breaking off goals.
The motivation thing
In psychology, a distinction is made between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The latter is the focus of self-leadership. While extrinsic motivation is based on external rewards - in the work context, for example, money, promotion opportunities or status - intrinsic motivators arise from activities that we enjoy doing and that bring us fun and pleasure. These positive feelings act as confirmation and rewards - we are satisfied with our own performance and develop a positive attitude towards our task.
One task can motivate us intrinsically, another not. The difference lies in the way we look at things and we can influence this! Here too, thoughts are the key. For example, we can succeed in perceiving a previously unattractive task as interesting if we focus on the enjoyable aspects. Combining less pleasant work tasks with activities that we enjoy doing can also lead to a more positive assessment.
So the next time we have an unpleasant task, it can help to devote ourselves to an activity that we enjoy during our breaks. This could be reading a good book or doing relaxation exercises.
Studies show that people with high self-leadership skills act dynamically, put their goals into practice and, above all, believe in themselves and their abilities. They are convinced that their actions will develop in a positive direction. This leads to demonstrably better mental and physical performance.
And finally, the most important thing: we can all learn self-leadership. It is a skill that can be trained and developed.
Source: Furtner, M. (2017). Self-Leadership: Basics. Springer-Verlag.
eap.wellbeing for your personal and professional success: increased motivation and performance at work and in your private life
The online platform eap.wellbeing offers a good selection of videos, courses and tutorials, articles and posts, podcasts, book recommendations and much more designed to maintain and increase personal performance. You will also find tools and assistance for situations when things get difficult at work, with colleagues or in your private life.
Other offers that can enrich your (working) life revolve around topics such as healthy and restful sleep, overcoming anxiety, relaxation techniques, yoga in mini units and much more.
Webinar:
Self Leadership
On 26.06.2024 at 9:30 am, the EAP Institute invites you to the webinar "Self Leadership". In 60 minutes, the relevance of the topic for personal and professional success will be highlighted, the connection to mental health will be worked out and strategies for implementation in everyday professional and private life will be developed together.
Register now!
Participation is free for members of eap.wellbeing.
We are pleased to invite all other interested parties to this webinar free of charge.
The EAP Institute is happy to support you in dealing with self-leadership and motivation in a professional and private context!
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