Leadership is often thought of in terms of organizations, relationships or motivating others. However, the truth is that Leadership begins with self.

There has been a considerable amount of material written concerning the difference between management and leadership. Managers are concerned with details and logistics and efficiencies. While leaders are concerned with Strategies, Objectives and Goals.

However in the internal world of self, it is possible to focus on managing self and coping with dissonance, instead of focusing on development and integrity.

Self-management is like training wheels on a bicycle or like wearing a back brace after an accident. When you are first learning to ride a bike training wheels may be helpful and when you are recuperating after an accident a brace may be beneficial. Yet there comes a time in which braces and training wheels cease to be helpful and start becoming detrimental.

Thus it is also with self-management. When you are first striving to take control of your personal development, when you are first trying to "get a grip" on yourself, techniques for self-management help you get started, but these techniques are artificial and they do not spring forth from inner fortitude. Also, self-management tends to stunt internal growth because it focuses on coping instead of self-discovery.

Frequently, I hear business people discussing "time management" and for a large percentage of those whom I meet, their planners are merely tools for coping. However, when used in conjunction with the four points I have discussed in the last two weeks, planners can be removed from the management trap and empower the leadership in your life.

The purpose of the techniques which I have been describing during the last two weeks are to provoke self-discovery and to probe for places which need improvement.

But your attitude towards the use of these techniques determines whether or not you will benefit from self-discovery resulting in cohesion or stagnate in the adhesion of self-management.