Leonardo de Vinci once said, “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself”. To achieve mastery of oneself is no easy feat; one must be willing and open to continuously learn and reflect. In this paper, I will define personal mastery and explain why it is important to my development as a leader. Furthermore, I will define and discuss four parts of my personal mastery plan: my values, purpose, vision, and practice.
As I near 30 and plan to take steps towards a career change within the next three years, I find myself questioning my own existence more than ever. What is my purpose? Why am I here? Do I let the fear of failure consume me? Do I stand in my own way of greatness? These questions are not answered lightly and I believe individuals all around us are asking similar questions.
I truly believe that everyone was placed on this Earth with a purpose. But in order to find that purpose, one must be willing to continually clarify what is important to them and learn “to see current reality more clearly”. Personal mastery means “approaching one’s life as a creative work, living life from a creative as opposed to reactive viewpoint”. If we think about an artist, their work is never truly finished; there is something they can always improve on or a piece that could use polishing. An artist is constantly reflecting on their work and finding new ways in which they could grow and improve their work. I believe leadership should be viewed in the same manner.
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As a leader, it is my goal to inspire creativity, motivation, innovation, and to lead my organization to success. But in order to do this, I must possess self-awareness. If I am unaware of who I am or where I am, then my vision for the future would be muddled. In turn, I would be unsuccessful in leading others to achieve their own vision. As a leader, I must be willing to enter a continuous state of reflection and learning. As I learn more about myself, those around me, and the key factors that drive my organization”, the more effective I would be in leading others to the discovery of their own personal mastery. However, the moment I stop reflecting and growing is the moment I not only fail myself but the moment I fail my organizations.
