Leaders leading themselves

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Self-leadership has been highly researched in recent years. Nevertheless, researchers have been studying this process under the umbrella of an organizational perspective. Therefore, exploring a holistic perspective of self-leadership is relevant. By considering leaders’ interviews, this research aimed to understand which factors were relevant for leaders to lead themselves in such way that allow efficient performance in all aspects of their lives. It was found that self-leadership is a process that can be translated in the capability that leaders have in handling and ensuring four balances: change and routine; self and others; non-work and work; and, mind and body. Main implications of these findings are presented and discussed.