Introspective Leadership- The Inner Game

A fellow Vistage chair reminded me of a Warren Bennes quote the other day: 

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult. 

Good leaders have high levels of skills, capabilities and other external competencies, let’s call that their “Outer Game”.  The Outer Game alone is insufficient to take you from being a good leader to being a great leader. 

Great leaders have additional traits that are often described with words like integrity, empathy, character, conviction and authenticity. These are rooted in their “Inner Game” and require a conscious intention to develop and mature these skills. The formula is really that simple, you need to develop yourself to let your Inner Game (the real you) shine in order to exhibit effective leadership. 

So you might ask, “How do I advance my Inner Game?”  The bookstore shelves are filled with books on the subject. The topic can can be overwhelming, but for starters improving these three skills can take you a very long way.  

• Self Awareness – Students of the field of emotional intelligence know the power of maintaining a high level of self awareness. Your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them is critical.   There is no one path to heightened self awareness, some individuals meditate, others do yoga or simply write in a journal regularly. What it does require of everyone is an intention to connect with yourself in a non-judgmental fashion. You need to figure out what works best for you and constantly stay on guard to monitor and understand yourself.
• Seek Feedback - Fact, the higher up you are in an organization the less likely you are to get honest feedback without directly and intentionally seeking it.  In our culture nobody wants to insult the boss. But if you openly seek feedback from people you trust you will start to see situations through a different lens. Ask for feedback constantly, ask for concrete examples and be vulnerable. In our Vistage CEO groups we also ask that when receiving feedback, that you don’t explain, rebut or debate. You simply say “Thank You”, reflect on the feedback and compare it to the story that you had been telling yourself. You will be amazed at what you can learn.
• Self Reflection- Note this is different from Self Awareness. Self Awareness mainly happens in the moment whereas Self Reflection happens after the fact.  Take some time to ask yourself if you did your best to set clear goals and made progress on those goals.  Reflect on the things that help you find meaning, happiness and positive relationships.  Ask yourself if you showed up in the manner that serves you and the situation best. 

Albert Einstein once said “The solutions to our current problems cannot be solved from the level of consciousness that created them.” Using this philosophy one quickly concludes that solving difficult problems requires you to step up to a higher level of consciousness. 

Good Yoga instructors always ask you to set your intention at the beginning of a session.  Great leadership is no different, you need to set your intention up front, be introspective and lead from within. 

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David Galowich is the Founder and CEO of Terra Firma Leadership LLC, a Chair of a Vistage CEO private advisory board in Chicago, IL and a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching program.  David can be contacted at david.galowich@vistagechair.com