“Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”~Lucille Ball
Okay, so why is a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm writing about loving ourselves? That’s pretty touchy-feely for our corporate world. I mean, what could self-love possibly have to do with leadership effectiveness, right?
Well, you know we’re going to say, “wrong”…and here is why.
When we are full-up with love and confidence, we can be our best selves. When we see what’s right, what’s working, and what we’ve done to help it along, we have more energy and enthusiasm to keep helping it along. When we feel strong, we are less likely to be threatened by others’ strength and we have more to give.
And a great starting point for all of that is loving yourself.
It continues. When we are in doubt, we doubt others. When we are unsure, we’re less able to make the hard call or the tough decision. When we are lonely or unhappy, we come from a place of “less than,” and that’s never good.
Bottom line, we can’t look to others to fill us up, bolster our confidence, lessen our doubt, or make us less lonely. It remains an inside job…that begins, at least, with loving ourselves.
Try it. Let us know how it goes for you.
How have you learned to love yourself more and how has it helped you?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
To connect with someone who will cheerlead you on, contact…, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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I love all articles about leadership because it has always been one of my greatest interests; however, this one stands out because I think how self-love shows up is so very different for each leader. I think it is important to define self-love overall, but then what it looks like in the professional world. I completely agree with the comment if you doubt yourself then you are bound to doubt others. It is important for leaders to fill-up their cups with positive ideas, thoughts, and emotions so that they can accurately see, interpret, and act out of a lens of balanced reflection, kindness, and generosity which is married to pragmatic and authentic reflection when giving feedback to others.
Kimberly, thank you for your comment! It is true that positive thoughts and beliefs, honest self-reflection, and generosity toward others are all important aspects of great leadership and building self-love. We appreciate your perspective.