Mastering Self-Leadership: Proven Tips for Online Business Owners in 2023
Self-leadership, which is having a proactive mindset about improving your leadership skills with an awareness of your vulnerabilities and focused action, is an invaluable practice we can use to build ourselves up.
Proactive Mindset —> Awareness of vulnerabilities —> Focused Attention
With an online business and its many moving parts, taking a dedicated approach to self-leadership will set you apart from those on cruise-control and significantly enhance your chances of achieving success.
In one survey, 83% of businesses agreed it’s important to develop leaders at all levels.
What about at the individual level?
What about online business owners like you?
Do you mostly go about your daily life on autopilot, until you’re hit smack dab in the face?
👇🏼 Here’s how you can hone your self-leadership:
Plan And Set Goals
You don’t start building a house without a clear idea of what you want it to look like and a plan to get there. Otherwise, you set yourself up for havoc.
If the layout isn’t in place, how are you going to do the plumbing or electrical wiring? Just as it’s essential to plan your home, it’s also crucial to plan and set defined goals for your business.
Do you have a vision?
⚡️ If not, start by clarifying your long-term vision for your online business.
⚡️ What do you ultimately want to achieve? For example, you may aim to become a leading brand consultant.
⚡️ Break down your vision into specific strategic objectives that align with your overall direction.
Of course, goals can change, and course correction may be needed.
Review your goals regularly to ensure you stay on track. Otherwise, the internet may get you stuck in its web and you could end up doing all the things and still going nowhere.
Manage Your Time
Conversely, you could stretch yourself out so wide that you get nothing done.
With endless distractions online, efficient time management is essential for self-leadership.
To be intentional with your time, prioritize what’s important or urgent, and designate blocks of time for all of your tasks (a process known as time-blocking).
Don’t combine any activities as science proves the brain truly can’t multitask. A more productive practice would be the Pomodoro Technique: focused work for short periods of time with mini-breaks in between.
And don’t forget to be headstrong and avoid distractions!
Be Enthusiastic About Learning
With an online business, learning and evolution is a must. Constantly-changing trends and enhancements will require you to adapt and improve your skill set quickly.
ChatGPT, anyone?
To combat this whirlwind, go with the flow.
Infuse self-leadership habits such as perusing relevant articles, taking online courses, networking, attending webinars, reading books, and finding mentors to up your game.
You also have to learn about yourself.
Know your unconscious pitfalls which arise from the processes running in the background of your mind. They influence your thoughts and could potentially cause you to repeat faulty behaviours.
Grow your self-awareness by asking reflective questions and being vulnerable and honest with yourself.
It might be difficult to face the truth at first, but over time, self-reflection will open you up to a level of self-control and inspirational leadership you might have never thought possible.
Be Adaptable and Resilient
Nothing showed us the importance of adaptability and resilience in self-leadership more than COVID.
Often, our ability to pivot and realign our strategies to overcome unexpected challenges is the real test of self-leadership.
But with a resilient mindset and a feedforward approach — using what you learn to make future-oriented solutions — you can move your online business forward with confidence.
Want A Personalized Self-Leadership Experience?
Join my FREE webinar From 9 to Thrive: Juggling Full-Time Jobs and Side Hustles where we will:
🥷🏼 Unleash the Time Ninja Within
Master the art of juggling full-time work and side hustles with precision and finesse.
🍭 Find the Sweet Spot
Learn ingenious time-management hacks that give you the upper hand in the battle for entrepreneurial success.
⚖️ Work-Life Integration
Explore techniques for maintaining work-life harmony, reducing stress, and fostering overall well-being as you build your side hustle alongside your full-time job.
