The 100X Leader

4Know Yourself to Lead Yourself

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

—Edmund Hillary, Mount Everest pioneer

What is true with climbing is true with leadership and life—the higher you climb the harder it gets and the more you must understand yourself. The acclimation to higher levels forces all of us to have to conquer things in our lives that keep us from becoming the person we really want to be. This process takes time and energy, which is why most of us don’t do it.

Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

By that, he meant that a lack of intentional growth, reflection, and self-improvement leads to an “accidental life,” one in which we settle for lesser versions of our best selves because we fail to put in the time and focus to mold our character and our life into the best it can be.

Equally, one could say that the unexamined leader is not worth following.

In other words, leaders who fail to regularly and intentionally take time to better understand themselves are not the leaders who will bring out the best in themselves or their teams. After all, if we don’t know our own strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies under pressure while at work when interacting with others, how can we expect to avoid the pitfalls that sabotage our relational and leadership efforts?

It is now time for you to move toward becoming 100% healthy as a leader. We want you to climb higher—to experience more for your sake and for the sake of everyone who experiences your ...