Throughout my professional life, I have seen many magic formulas happen about leadership, productivity, and motivation. Some worked and others only cajoled. However, hThere is an element that is repeated over and over again as essential: self-leadership. The external cannot be led well if there is no internal mastery, and that mastery does not come from empty doctrines, but from a conscious praxis: knowing oneself, motivating oneself and then leading others with authenticity.
Knowing yourself is not an act of vanity, nor of empty self-help, but of efficiency. What am I doing right? Where do I falter? What values move me? lThe teams that respond best are those in which their leaders know what their strengths and limitations are, and act accordingly; who do not intend to make up for what they do not have, but rather enhance what they do have and seek to surround themselves well for the rest.
A practical guide to getting to know yourself can include
–Map core values: What are the principles that one does not negotiate (honesty, responsibility, respect, service, effectiveness).
–Recognize biases and limitations: Am I impatient? Is it difficult for me to delegate? Do I avoid confrontation?
–External feedback: Ask for honest feedback, receive criticism, and acknowledge mistakes.
–Systematic reflection: diaries, letters, mentoring, periodic self-evaluations.
This self-knowledge generates humility, clarity in decision-making, and avoids the constant wear and tear of pretending or pretending to be what one is not. Once you know yourself, you must motivate yourself from the inside out. I do not depend on external stimuli, but on purposes that give meaning.
Some keys to maintain motivation:
*Set real and challenging goalss: these are not impossible objectives, but rather those that require effort, commitment and growth.
*Break down big dreams into small steps: this way one does not become demoralized by the magnitude of what remains to be done.
*Celebrate minor achievements: Recognizing intermediate progress sustains morale.
*Take care of personal balance: Without physical, emotional and mental health there is no lasting motivation.
Remember the purpose when setbacks come: write it down, keep it in mind, return to it.
Now: having developed self-leadership, the ability to lead others grows not as a privilege, but as a responsibility. What differentiates a good leader from an extraordinary one is how they make others shine, not outshine them.
For this, you must maintain clear and honest communication: say what is expected, why, with what resources. There is no worse demotivation than working without understanding what you want. You have to delegate with confidence: if you don’t trust, you don’t delegate; If you don’t delegate, you become overloaded; If it is overloaded, everything fails. Delegating implies support, not abandonment. You must set an example: coherence between what is asked and what you do. If a leader demands punctuality, he must be punctual; If you want continuous improvement, you must be willing to learn.
It is also important to encourage participation and co-responsibility: it is not about imposing, but about building collectively. When those who work feel that they contribute, that their ideas matter, the commitment is real.
Self-leadership is not about feeling superior, nor about using leadership as a springboard, but rather about public and collective service. Those who know themselves, motivate themselves, and lead others well build stronger institutions, more loyal teams, and more just societies.
In the future that we deserve, every worker, every leader, every citizen must assume that leading means starting with oneself: monitoring one’s behavior, one’s word, one’s commitment; that getting motivated is not waiting for others to do it, but rather igniting one’s own spark; and that leading others is not to impose but to accompany, it is not to command but to inspire.
That is the challenge. That is the urgency. That is the legacy we can leave if we dare to lead from the inside out.
*Marcelo Villegas is an HR consultant:
by Marcelo Villegas
