This module addresses the importance of being

self-aware as a leader and some of the skill sets

and strategies that have been shown to be critical
for building self-awareness. One foundational piece
of self- awareness is personal mastery, which is
the ability to use self-awareness to continually
grow and learn as a leader.

This module begins with a brief exploration of the
concept of personal leadership and self-
awareness, followed by an exploration of central
tenets of personal mastery, including learning,
personal vision and reflective practice. In this
module, you will have an opportunity to formulate
your own personal vision of your leadership as a
physician and be introduced to the process of
journal writing, an essential tool for developing
reflective practice.

Finally, this module introduces the Personal
leadership development plan, a document
designed to help you plan and gauge your
leadership development as you move forward in
your career as a physician.
Leadership is an elusive term to pin down and
define. Despite the many definitions, interpretations
and perspectives of the word leadership, most
definitions capture the sense that leadership is the
capacity to influence others to work together in
pursuit of a common, constructive purpose. This
definition implies that leadership is not attributed to
any one person or position. Instead, leadership can
be thought of having multiple dimensions, which
encompass the individual, the collective, the
organization and the entire system.

The underlying premise of this module is that
leadership is something that needs to be
developed, and it starts with who you are as a
person. Contrary to the outdated notion that great
leaders are born, the current research literature
overwhelmingly concludes that leadership is
associated with a set of definable skill sets or
competencies that need to be intentionally and
actively developed (Parks, 2005). As such,
leadership development can be viewed as
expanding ones own capabilities to effectively
carry out leadership actions and processes.
However, before you can effectively lead others
you must first be able to lead yourself, which
cannot occur without first understanding and
developing your own personal beliefs, attitudes,
capabilities and skills (Mumford et al., 2000).
Personal leadership has been defined as the
process individuals use to understand and control
their own behaviour and thoughts (Neck &
Houghton, 2006). It is composed of specic
behavioural and cognitive strategies intended to
increase personal effectiveness and performance.

The fundamental idea behind personal leadership
is that individuals intentionally look rst within
themselves to understand their own internal state,
as well as apply the necessary tools and strategies
to motivate and control behavior and thought. The
ability to look within is analogous with self-
awareness.
Self-awareness is about obtaining insight into why,
how and when one thinks, feels and behaves in
certain ways. Self-awareness helps to determine
the degree to which a particular action is positive or
negative, desirable or undesirable and necessary
or unnecessary. Self-aware individuals are adept at
examining their own emotional triggers, thinking
patterns, assumptions, values, principles, strengths
and limitations. Essential skills associated with self-
awareness include:
SELF-
reflection
SELF-
evaluation
SELF-
observation
These skills will be further addressed in the section
on Reflective practice.
Lifelong learning
The management guru Peter Senge describes
personal mastery as the discipline of personal
growth and learning (Senge, 2006). Leaders who
have achieved personal mastery are able to
successfully manage their deficiencies and
leverage their strengths as well as be independent
in the sense that they are self-sufficient and are not
beholden or dependent on others for their
emotional, relational and self-esteem needs.

At the core of personal mastery is the commitment
to personal growth and lifelong learning, meaning
you seek out opportunities to continually develop
your leadership skills and capabilities. It is
essentially about adapting to circumstances and
learning what works and doesnt work in
maintaining your internal stability. Mastery is about
having the insight to readjust when you find
yourself out of alignment due to lifes demands and
stresses. As you develop your personal mastery,
fears diminish, self-confidence enhances, and your
ability to rebound to a state of calm and alignment
improves.
Lifelong learning implies a deeper kind of learning,
which has been called transformational learning in
some circles. Transformational learning focuses on
the role of cognitive processes in learning
namely, mental constructs, inner meaning and
reflection. Key concepts in transformational
learning include the nature of the experience,
critical reflection about beliefs and assumptions,
emotional processing and individual attitudes
(Taylor, 2000). This suggests that personal
mastery cannot occur until you become keenly
aware of your own values, assumptions, beliefs,
personality, emotional disposition and strengths
topics that are covered in the following modules.
Personal vision
A crucial first step to building personal mastery is
becoming clear about your personal vision. A
personal vision is a framework, or guiding
philosophy, on how you can operate and live your
life. Many leaders would say that personal vision
serves as a guide that keeps you on the right track.

A leadership vision is an essential means for
focusing attention on what matters most, what you
want to accomplish in your professional life as a
physician and what kind of leader you wish to be. A
useful vision has to be rooted in your past
experience, address the ideal future and deal with
today's realities. It represents who you are and
what you stand for. It needs to inspire you to act to
make constructive change toward a future you
want to see.