You are the protagonist in the story that is your life. You can’t escape yourself, and you can’t operate beyond who and where you are. Who you are as a person will always determine how far you go and how much you accomplish as a leader.
That’s not a bad thing. Actually, it should give you hope, because you are the only thing you can really control in life. Everything else—circumstances, people, events—is beyond your control. But you have great freedom to shape your own life, which means the choice to become a better friend, parent, teacher, mentor, employer, or leader is up to you. In the chapters that follow, we’ll explore topics related to the hardest person you’ll ever have to lead: yourself.