Leader, Know Thyself (PDF)

Leadership begins with self-knowledge. Leader, Know Thyself will help you understand who you are and who you can be-so you can bring all your power to bear in leading people through even the toughest challenges. Legendary business leaders and consultants Stedman Graham and Ken Blanchard explain how to hone and sustain your personal "Leadership ID": the grounded sense of self and values that can guide you through life's most critical choice-points. Graham and Blanchard help you gain a deeper understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, your purpose in life, your values, and your ideal future. They offer tips for resolving dynamic tensions between your most dearly held values...keeping the world from pushing you back into old and ineffective routines...accepting the right external influences and getting the right kinds of help...maintaining your focus on positive results...staying in the game despite any roadblocks you encounter...and getting yourself to the places and projects you've always dreamt about.

You wouldn't think of starting out on a major journey without taking along your identification. Yet, too often people set out to become leaders without knowing who they really are. We've all known people who were passionate to succeed at something, and then gave up their dreams at the first setback. Why does that happen? It happens because these people don't have solid identities to sustain them when they run into resistance. They don't have their leadership IDs.