Day 100: On Being a Leader
If you wish to control others you must first control yourself.
One good way to boost your willpower when you’re struggling to maintain it is to remind yourself of the benefits of self-control. In other words, give yourself an answer as to why you should resist yet another temptation and stay self-disciplined. Failing to find a good answer will make you succumb to the urge, so it’s useful to know as many practical benefits of self-discipline as possible.
One overlooked benefit of self-control — or a big weakness in a person who lacks it — is that leadership is impossible without it. If you demand self-discipline from others, you should first have it yourself. Otherwise, you’ll lack the credibility that makes other people want to follow you.
This applies not only to the most common use of the word “leader” (such as a business leader), but also to any other role in which you’re responsible for the well-being of another person of a group of people — being a parent, being in a relationship, being a part of a local community, etc.
Whenever you’re struggling to stay disciplined, think of people whom you consider your loyal “followers,” whether they’re your colleagues, your children, your friends, or your neighbors.
What would they think of you — and would they still be willing to follow you — if they knew that you’d failed to embrace the
quality that they admire in you so much that they consider you an important person in their lives?