The Three Levels of Leadership – Scouller Leadership Blog » Self-Mastery
Can A Negative Self-Image Reduce Awareness?
After The Three Levels of Leadership came out in 2011, readers followed up with questions on leadership, leadership psychology and self-mastery – all of them interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I’m releasing my answers here as they supplement the “Three Levels” material and others may find them useful. Here’s the sixth in the series. I’ll post the others over the coming months…
Q6. If you have a negative self-image arising from limiting beliefs and negative feelings about yourself stemming from the beliefs, can that reduce your self-awareness?
“In one sense yes, but in another sense, no…
Numbing Yourself Against Feelings
I say ‘yes’ because if you decide to defend yourself against the limiting beliefs that make up your negative self-image and their painful feelings (above all, shame) by numbing yourself against them, you can indeed reduce what you are consciously aware of. Ironically, such decisions are usually unconscious.
Note what I just said: ‘you can reduce what you are consciously aware of.’ Continue reading →
Will Practising Self-Mastery Mean I’ll Have No Feelings?
After The Three Levels of Leadership came out in 2011, readers followed up with questions on leadership, leadership psychology and self-mastery – all of them interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I’m releasing my answers here as they supplement the “Three Levels” material and others may find them useful. Here’s the fifth in the series. I’ll post the others over the coming months…
Q5. You say you can experience feelings of joy while learning to be detached as you grow your leadership presence by practising self-mastery – but won’t detachment mean no feelings?
“Your assumption that if leaders practise detachment they won’t have any feelings is important… and incorrect. So let’s start by being clear about detachment and attachment. Continue reading →
The Four Keys To Becoming A Good Leader
I wrote an article elsewhere about the 4 keys to becoming the best leader you can be. You could say it’s a high-level summary of my leadership book, The Three Levels of Leadership. It’s too long to fit in this blog, but the 4 keys are:
(1) Have a clear practical definition of leadership (many of us have a fuzzy, unhelpful view of it).
(2) Know the purpose of a leader (because “leader” and “leadership” aren’t the same thing). Continue reading →
Leadership, Consciousness, Mind & Brain
This article offers leaders the chance to understand more about the distinctions between consciousness, mind and brain and why this matters to their growth and success as leaders. It draws on recent neuroscience research and explains the essence of self-mastery.
Leadership, Mental States & Buddha’s Middle Way
One of the Buddha’s most mysterious statements was this: “Preceded by perception are mental states, for them is perception supreme.” What did he mean by this and why does it matter to leaders wanting to offer transformational leadership? This short article explains.
A Thought Experiment
Imagine you are a guest at a European Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona and you’re a neutral – you don’t have strong feelings for either side. Imagine too that you have Manchester United supporters to your left and Barcelona supporters to your right. Continue reading →
What Leaders Can Learn from Andy Murray
Andy Murray, the British tennis player lost in the semi-finals at Wimbledon two days ago to Rafael Nadal. The consensus among ex-players and tennis commentators is that Murray has all the shots needed to win a grand slam, but he hasn’t yet broken through. Frustratingly for him, he was in charge of his match against Nadal until his level of play dropped after the first set.
It’s clear that Murray faces two psychological challenges in trying to become a grand slam champion and anyone wanting to be an effective leader can learn from what he’s facing. Here’s why. Continue reading →
What Is Leadership Presence (Part 2)?
In part 2, James Scouller, author of the book The Three Levels of Leadership, continues his look at this elusive characteristic of great leaders, leadership presence. This time he compares presence to charisma. He argues that the difference between them matters because it shows in the leader’s behaviour under pressure.
What is Leadership Presence (Part 1)?
Leadership presence is a key to being an effective leader, so what is it exactly? How does it show itself? And what is the source of presence? In part 1, James Scouller, author of The Three Levels of Leadership, explains this hard-to-define characteristic of great leaders.
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