Kate Clausen (MHRM Class of 2018)

How have you been able to hone your self leadership at Fisher?

I have learned three important lessons throughout my time at Fisher. The first is that the only thing you can control is yourself, and that self-control is an important skill that fewer people have than you would expect.

The second is that real leadership is not about controlling or managing others, it is resonating with people’s values and beliefs and ensuring that each experience is meaningful to each person – which is crazy difficult and not something I am even close to mastering. The third is that knowing yourself is the first step to knowing and relating to others, and that knowing yourself is a never-ending process that involves self-care and reflection. I have had the opportunity to get to know myself, reexamine who I am and what I want, and figure out a way to achieve it. I have also had the opportunity to lead new and diverse people in new contexts to stretch and strengthen my leadership abilities. Both of these opportunities will be critical to my success and happiness in whatever my future holds.

Why is developing self leadership important to your effectiveness as a future leader?

If I’m not being an authentic, principled leader then I do not deserve the respect or followership of anyone. If I can't monitor and control myself, I can’t expect that behavior from anyone else. I need to understand how people are perceiving me and my impact on others in order to be the most effective leader and develop resonance with my leadership. Beyond leadership, I consider each of these aspects an important part of being a good team member and even being a good friend. Self-leadership gives you the awareness and skills you need to be a better person in your personal and professional lives. These are the skills we all need to have in order be our best selves and reach our fullest potential

Which of the self leadership dimensions have played a role in your personal leadership development?

Although I believe the foundation of all leadership is built on reflection and self-awareness, I think character development has played a large role in my personal leadership development. Deciding who I am and what I stand for and then aligning my behavior and decision making to that helps to protect me from bad (read: shameful) decisions. Knowing who I am, or moreover who I want to be since we are all continuously developing, is so important to staying true to what I believe is right and being willing to speak up when something is misaligned with that.

Please share any additional thoughts you have about self leadership:

If everyone had higher competency in these areas of self leadership, I think the world would be a much better place. I know it would make HR’s job a lot easier. :)