Doctor Leaders, know thyself to heal thyself

“But who should begin? Who should break this vicious circle? The only possible place to begin is with myself. … Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost.” Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel, the former president of the Czech Republic, and one of the greatest icons of the Cold War recently passed away. His story is a hero’s journey and shows his courage and leadership on the level of Nelson Mandela. Vaclav was a young dissident playwright who was imprisoned for his beliefs. Through his self-reflection while in prison, he found the fortitude to continue to write and eventually lead the 10-day Velvet Revolution.

He freed Czechoslovakia from communism and became the country’s first president. His quest did not start with complaining or sitting with like-minded peers in coffee houses, but when he had the courage to look inward. Through this reflection he saw what steps he should take as an individual and hence why he became such a powerful leader, and made this world a better place.

Cura te ipsum means to heal yourself or improve yourself. Self-reflection, insight, knowing one’s own blind-spots and guarding against them is critical for all leaders. The more powerful you want your impact to be depends on the maturity to know yourself and work to become more effective. A leader’s most important asset is their judgment and conviction when making difficult decisions. A friend and colleague of mine, COL Steve Dwyer (Ret), spoke at a dinner I attended and shared his journey as a leader and his 3 rules for leadership. One lesson he shared is what I now call the “wallpaper” lesson: though leaders will often be consulted for decisions such as choosing the wallpaper for the office, true leadership hinges on your ability to show good judgment in less frequent but far more difficult situations that may require a decision between a bad outcome and a worse outcome. When you make real decisions you and your team need to feel confident in your convictions and actions. This confidence stems from knowing yourself.

Leadership challenges will always be there, whether it is saving your country or your company or your team. Vaclav Havel went to prison and later became a world leader. You don’t have to go to prison to know yourself, but it does take time and effort to do so. Only through knowing yourself may you act with conviction and the best knowledge when faced with challenge.  

When and how are you going to take time to reflect in 2012?

Video of Vaclav Havel commenting on leadership – Video   

Wikipedia information on Vaclav Havel - Link