When you think of a leader, what comes to mind? Do you picture managers and bosses who direct other people and have authority over them, or do you think of someone who works to support and inspire people? There is nothing wrong with authority and providing direction to other people, but I think a true leader is someone whose purpose is to support another person instead of forcing them to live by a set of rules.

What about leading yourself? Do you consider yourself to be a self-directed leader? According to ChatGPT: “Self-directed leadership is the ability to independently guide, motivate, and manage oneself in pursuing personal and professional goals. It involves taking initiative, being proactive in decision-making, and holding oneself accountable for actions and outcomes. A self-directed leader doesn’t wait for external guidance but instead actively seeks out opportunities for growth, sets clear goals, and adapts to challenges with resilience. This form of leadership emphasizes autonomy, self-awareness, and a commitment to continuous learning, all while maintaining alignment with broader organizational or personal objectives.”

I have embraced being a self-directed leader. I actively seek out new leadership challenges and I set clear goals for myself. For example, I aspire to serve at the highest levels of my Toastmasters district by serving as District 28 Director, and I have created a plan to move slowly up the leadership ranks until I achieve that goal. I am already serving as Division I Director, and this provides challenges and learning opportunities on my journey to becoming District Director.

I also aspire to be a project manager and professional speaker. To further those goals, I belong to two Toastmasters clubs, one with a focus on project management, and one with a focus on professional speaking. I have also taken steps to achieve these goals by earning project management certifications.

Something else that makes me a self-directed leader is that I have a system of daily action planning and setting weekly and monthly objectives that makes me intentional with my time. This has me prioritizing my schedule every week and working towards my most important goals.

Myths and Misconsceptions about Self-Direction

If this sounds good to you and I have inspired you to have self-direction in your life, I want you to consider some common myths and misconceptions about self-directed leadership.

We will explore the following seven misconceptions about self-directed leadership:

1. Self-directed leadership means working alone.
2. It’s only for senior leaders or entrepreneurs.
3. Self-directed leaders don’t need guidance.
4. It’s just another term for being independent.
5. Self-directed leadership ignores organizational goals.
6. It’s inherent and can’t be learned.
7. It’s about rejecting authority.

Working Alone

The idea that you must work alone or reject collaboration to be a self-directed leader is not true. Self-direction is about autonomy with accountability, not working alone. A self-directed leader takes responsibility and shows initiative, but still seeks feedback from others and can work with others.

For example, as Division I Director for my Toastmasters district I work with a team of area directors. There is also a leadership team above me (called the District Trio) that includes the District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director.

For the most part I work alone to carry out my duties as division director, and I motivate myself and hold myself accountable to my goals and responsibilities in this position. I also meet regularly with my team of area directors and with the district executive committee. I also receive some direction from the District Trio, which I incorporate into my plans and goals as the leader of my division.

So, while I do work alone at times in this position, I still collaborate with other leaders. And I am self-directed in carrying out my plans and ambitions.

Leadership Level

You don’t have to be high level executive or entrepreneur to be a self-directed leader. Leading yourself is relevant at all levels. Being a self-directed leader empowers you take charge of your own growth regardless of your role.

For example, I work as a software developer for a living. And I am self-directed leader in this role. I set my own goals for learning and developing my software development skills, and I actively work to improve myself. I do receive direction and assignments from my employer, and I am self-directed in carrying out those assignments.

Guidance and Support

Another misconception is that self-directed leaders don’t need guidance or support. That is not true. A self-directed leader can still benefit from having a mentor and receiving feedback from others. They can seek advice, learn from others, and leverage support from other people.

For example, as Division I Director I recruited a guidance committee. This is a team of fellow Toastmasters who serve as my advisors and mentors. I meet with them to review my plans for my division and they me give feedback and share their own ideas and insights with me. This helps me to be a better leader and to support my team of area directors more effectively.

Independence

Self-directed leadership is not just another term for being independent. It goes beyond working independently. Leading yourself includes strategic thinking, goal setting, self-motivation, and aligning personal actions with larger objectives.

I have a vision for my life, and I set goals that bring my vision closer to fruition. I have strategies that I implement in my life that help me to achieve my goals and to fulfill my responsibilities. I typically implement these strategies on my own. However, I do seek the support and advice of others when I need help. After all, sometimes you the need support of other people even when you normally act independently.

Organizational Goals

Being a self-directed leader doesn’t mean you ignore organizational goals. You don’t focus solely on your own goals. In fact, you work to align your personal ambitions with the goals of your organization to achieve mutual success.

For example, I am driven to achieve my personal ambitions, but at work I am focused on supporting the goals and objectives of the company I work for. I focus on developing and maintaining the software I work on for a living, and I strive to always support the customer support and integration team.

Teaching Self-Directed Leadership

Another misconception is that self-directed leadership can’t be taught. This isn’t true. You can learn to be a self-directed leader, which is why I am writing this article. You can become a self-directed leader through deliberate practice, self-awareness, and continuous learning.

My favourite author, Jonh C. Maxwell, says that leadership is a process. He also says that leadership develops daily, not in a day. This means you can start taking steps now to learn how to lead yourself effectively. And you can actively shape and develop your leadership skills every day, starting by learning how to lead yourself effectively.

Authority

Another misconception is that self-directed leadership means rejecting authority. That is not true. Leading yourself is about mastering yourself so you can be more effective at fulfilling your goals and responsibilities. When you lead yourself effectively, you are better equipped to support and lead other people. You will also be better equipped to hold yourself accountable to your goals and responsibilities.

As Division I Director for my Toastmasters District, I still report to the District Trio. They are on a higher leadership level than me, and I respect their authority, and I enjoy working with them. They provide direction to the leaders below them (i.e. the division and area directors), and we work together as a team to support the Toastmasters clubs in our district.

As Division I Director, I also have authority over my team of area directors. But I don’t abuse that authority. Instead, I see myself as the primary support person for my team of area directors. I am there to meet with them and to help them plan how to support the Toastmasters clubs in their areas. I also provide them with some direction and training to help them in their roles.

Conclusion

Don’t let these misconceptions stop you from embracing self-directed leadership in your life. Focus instead on the benefits of leading yourself and work diligently to become a self-directed leader. Remember that self-directed leadership is about independently guiding, motivating, and managing yourself in pursuing your personal and professional goals. As a self-directed leader you take initiative, you are proactive in decision-making, and you holding yourself accountable for your actions and outcomes.

As a self-directed leader you don’t wait for approval or external guidance. You actively seek out opportunities for learning and growth, you set clear personal and professional goals, and you adapt to the challenges you face in life. You are autonomous, self-aware, and you have a commitment to continuous learning.

And don’t forget, you do all this while still maintaining alignment with broader organizational or personal objectives. You can still be a self-directed leader even when you work for someone else, and even when you don’t have a formal or informal leadership position.

So start leading yourself today. Your life will change for the better.