Latest news with #selfleadership
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Elite Leader Compass: What Every Strategic Leader Must Master
Carlos Hoyos is Senior Global Executive Coach and Business Advisor at Elite Leader Institute. It happens almost every time. An executive walks into our first coaching session with a burning desire for transformation and results. They want their company to grow. They want their team to perform better. They want stronger governance and a more engaged culture. In their mind, the solution lies somewhere outside of them—in new processes, new hires, new strategies. And I often pause and ask these four questions: 1. Do you believe you need to change to have different results in your business organization? 2. Do you believe you can change? 3. Are you open to change? 4. Are you willing to commit to changing yourself until you get the business and organizational results you want? The first two questions are usually answered quickly, with "yes," "sure" or even "of course." The third takes a bit longer. And the fourth? Well, that's when the silence begins. The hardest shift for a strategic leader is not changing others—it's changing themselves. But without that shift, nothing else truly sustains. No strategy sticks. No culture evolves. No legacy endures. This is the core insight behind what I call the Elite Leader Compass. At any given time, a senior executive or business owner is navigating one of three strategic dimensions: • Self-Leadership • Leadership • Governance All three are necessary. But they are not equal in sequence. Self-leadership is the prerequisite. If your foundation is cracked—emotionally, mentally, behaviorally—the rest will crumble, no matter how sophisticated your strategy or talented your team. Here's what each axis represents: This is where transformation begins. Self-leadership means owning your emotional regulation, identity alignment and the story you tell yourself about who you are and what you are here to do. It includes self-governance—how you manage your energy, priorities, boundaries and mindset. Without this, leadership turns reactive and governance becomes disconnected. Self-leadership is not about perfection. It's about alignment: ensuring that your internal world and external actions are in harmony. It's where true authority is born. Once the inner foundation is set, the next layer is relational. Leadership is about inspiring people toward a common vision. That's where culture is built. Here, the executive becomes a source of clarity, belonging and emotional resonance. It's not about charisma—it's about consistency. Great leadership creates trust, alignment and momentum. Leadership is emotional work. It requires presence, listening, empathy and the ability to make others feel seen and valued. Leaders who master this axis create environments where people commit rather than comply. This is the domain of decisions, processes and performance. Governance translates ideas into reality. It sets the rhythm of execution. Governance creates order, accountability and predictability—all of which are critical for scaling any operation. But here's the trap: Too many executives start here. They fixate on metrics, reporting and accountability before they've aligned themselves and inspired others. And that's why governance, without leadership and self-leadership, often becomes cold, rigid or ineffective. True governance must serve leadership, not replace it. Once self-leadership is stabilized, many leaders ask me, "Should I now focus on inspiring people or fixing the management system?" My answer: It depends on where the next fracture lies. If your team is unmotivated, misaligned or resistant, the leadership axis needs your attention. If your strategy is unclear, your operations chaotic or your decisions inconsistent, it's time to step into governance. But don't confuse the symptom with the root. Often, what looks like a team issue is a mirror of your own incongruence. And what appears to be a performance issue is actually a leadership blind spot. The Elite Compass helps executives slow down, assess with honesty and realign with purpose. One of the disciplines I encourage my clients to adopt is a simple checklist practice of systematic reflection: • How aligned am I internally? (Self-Leadership) • How connected am I to people who really matter? (Leadership) • How clear and operational are my processes and goals? (Governance) This ongoing awareness prevents strategic drift and maintains the vitality of the organization. A VP responsible for a multinational's operation in an entire country—one of the largest in the world—came to coaching overwhelmed. He was leading a critical business unit within the company's international strategy. At first, he believed the problem was the people. The team wasn't delivering, the systems weren't helping and, under the pressure of trying to fix everything externally, he was burning out. He initially planned to "fix people" and enforce stricter governance. But deeper reflection revealed the real starting point: himself. Using the Elite Compass, we focused on self-leadership: regaining clarity, restoring emotional energy and reframing how he approached challenges. Once he realigned internally, his leadership capacity expanded. He connected with his people again—leading with presence, trust and emotional intelligence. Only then did we move to governance. Streamlining processes, improving KPIs and making better decisions became natural extensions of his internal transformation. The system changed because the leader changed first. If you're an executive reading this, ask yourself: • Where am I currently leading from—foundation, connection or control? • What part of the compass have I been avoiding? • Am I trying to fix the system without first aligning the self? And most importantly: Am I willing to stay committed to change until I achieve the business and organizational results I truly desire? Because the most elite leaders I know don't just lead businesses. They lead cultures. They lead movements. But first, they lead themselves. Leadership is not just what you do; it's who you choose to become. Your compass is in your hands. So, where will you point it next? Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
CNA
13-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
New programme to tackle AI disruption, rising early-career attrition in legal profession
A new programme to give junior lawyers a strong start in their careers will be launched this month. Among the skills are practical training, AI tools and a module on self leadership. One of its key aims is to tackle the fact that more lawyers are leaving the profession. A survey last year had said almost two-thirds said they will hang up their robes in five years' time. CNA speaks to the Singapore Academy of Law's CEO Yeong Zee Kin.
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How These 5 Self Care Strategies Are Reshaping The Future Of Work
Self care in the age of AI: start here. getty Amidst rising concerns of AI reducing the need for white collar jobs, especially in middle management, self care has become more important than ever. With layoffs looming inside companies, workforce displacements are creating added stress for millions of workers. As managers are increasingly seen as unnecessary, or disposable, or both, self-directed work teams are becoming the norm for many organizations. Bayer, for example, recently removed 5,000 middle managers from its ranks - and shifted to self-led teams where everyone is involved in strategy, sourcing and decision-making. Inside the rising trend of disappearing managers, and increased reliance on self-direction, the greatest way for employees to prepare for the future of work emphasizes self-care in order to adapt to these changes. Perhaps the most considerate thing that forward-thinking employees can do for themselves is to gain a deeper understanding of self-leadership - the key to career advancement in the era of self-directed work teams. Here are five key self-care principles that can help you to understand what leadership looks like in the age of AI. Discovering Your Purpose: awareness is key to self-leadership. Recognizing your own strengths is a great place to start, but as author Marcus Buckingham suggests in the title of his best-selling book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work . Knowing your purpose, and articulating your values, can help you navigate team dynamics where managers are becoming scarce. In order to better prepare for the future of work, a careful assessment of your purpose and values can help you to identify what really matters to you. Goal Setting: where do goals really come from? If you said, 'My manager', perhaps it's time to consider reframing your answer. Think about the goals that have given you the greatest sense of accomplishment. Were they external, or internal? Self-leadership asks you to look inside at what you want to accomplish. And then, reinforcing those goals via self discipline - which is as simple as just remembering what it is that you want. Accountability: when managers disappear, who's there to follow up on your progress? Taking ownership of your role, as well as your professional development, isn't something you can outsource. Beyond your KPIs, what are your personal goals and responsibilities? If everything you're working on comes from outside of you, how does that allow time for self-care? Self leadership asks for your ownership - of your tasks, as well as your personal and professional development. Self-directed work teams require leadership from the inside out. Are you keeping your promises - to yourself? By the way, what's the biggest promise you can keep? Ownership: the philosophy of stoicism focuses on what you can and can't control, with powerful lessons in self-leadership. What we always control, inside even the most difficult situation, is how we show up. In other words, we can't control our circumstances but we can control how we respond to those circumstances. Taking ownership requires that we stop blamestorming. Finding excuses in our circumstances is giving ownership where it is not deserved. Take back your power, and your ownership, when you see that your actions (and reactions) are within your power. Self care asks you to reflect on a situation, and before you react instantly, consider: What else could this be? What else could this mean? And ultimately, what could I do or say that I haven't considered here? If you are vexed by this line of questioning, open up a window with your favorite AI and chat it out. Take ownership of your circumstances and your outcomes via a dialogue. That conversation might show you what's missing. Continuous Learning: how curious are you? Self care emphasizes self development. And in the age of self directed work teams, developing your own leadership skills is key. Learning and development is an inside job for the future of work. If you're not learning new skills (upskilling) you're missing an opportunity for growth, expansion and career development. Coaching can be a valuable asset, to help you to find new possibilities - especially around vital skills such as communication, listening and relationships. While AI can provide vast insight and a fresh perspective, learning how to interact with team members is something that everyone needs - especially executive leaders who might reject that last statement. Leadership begins with listening. As we find new perspectives to inform our own, new possibilities emerge. Those possibilities can lead to new opportunities, new promotions, even new careers. From a self-care standpoint, listening to what you really need is where the conversation begins. Exploring your values and your purpose can help you to cut through the noise and distractions that bombard us every day. The future of work features a new team member (AI) and a new team structure (the shifting role of the manager). As greater responsibility is placed on that new team, self leadership is key to moving past burnout - and focusing on what really matters - as team members must become manager-proof. Inside a self care mindset, taking a pause to find your own inner compass is the key to navigating the future of work.
