PART 2: Dr Jensen's Self-Action Leadership Transformation
The bad news is that what really works is usually HARD and requires huge investments of time, effort, and to varying degrees, pain. I know because I’ve suffered greatly along the pathways of my own SAL journey.
The good news is that if you are willing to invest the time & effort, and if you are not afraid to courageously confront pain when necessary, SAL could change your life, and the lives of those you teach, mentor, and lead.
Such changes will lead to extraordinary increases in the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of everyone touched by the principles. I know this because SAL has led to all these things in my own life; simply stated, SAL is why I stand before you today.
To illustrate… let me share a few examples from my own life.
EXAMPLE 1: Mental Illness ~ OCD & Depression
I have battled obsessive-compulsive disorder – “OCD” – & depression for over two decades. The hellish symptoms I’ve suffered induced incalculable amounts of anxiety, guilt, stress, and anguish of body, mind, & spirit.
My symptoms led to serious issues that negatively impacted my academic performance, my social & romantic relationships, my religious practice, and every other area of my life.
Through Self-Action Leadership, I have been able to effectively manage my OCD and depression to accomplish every major academic, social, romantic, and spiritual goal I have set for myself to date.
EXAMPLE 2: Academic Struggles
Because of OCD and other issues, I often struggled academically growing up. For example, I took algebra I three years in a row. I know, it was kind of embarrassing. I failed to break a 3.0 GPA in high school, scored very average on my college entrance exam, and was rejected by the University to which I applied.
Through Self-Action Leadership, I improved my performance in college and went on to earn a doctoral degree in Education, and thanks to a couple of A-plusses, finished with a better-than-perfect 4.049 GPA.
To make up for my algebra deficiencies, I married an attractive mechanical engineer who received a perfect score on the math portion of her SAT, and whose favorite high school course was, I kid you not, algebra 1! At least now our kids will have a genetic chance when it comes to Math; and the best part is, I won’t have to help them with their algebra homework!
EXAMPLE 3: Romantic Failure
OCD and depression also negatively impacted my social life and romantic interests. Over the course of my dating experiences, I was rejected 130 times by 80 different women.
Through Self-Action Leadership, I am now married to a woman I can rightfully describe as “better than the woman of my dreams.” I say “better” because God prepared her with many wonderful attributes that even I was unable to anticipate on my own short-sighted “list” of desirable qualities in an eternal companion.
EXAMPLE 4: Fear of Public Speaking
Nearly three decades ago, I gave my first public address in front of an adult audience. Early on in my life, I sometimes found such experiences to be dreadful. I recall after one of my first public speeches at age 10 being greatly relieved it would be some time before I’d have to do that again.
Through Self-Action Leadership, I have not only conquered my fears of public speaking, but have made a career out of it—a career I LOVE—that has taken me to 44 U.S. States, 5 Provinces of Canada, 9 Shires or Counties of Great Britain, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
I do not share this biographical information to impress you, but to impress upon you that Self-Action Leadership has changed my life in dramatically positive ways; and SAL can do the same for you—if change is what you seek.
Self-Action Leadership holds the power to transform entire cultures, restoring the virtues of hard work, integrity, self-reliance, and trained capacity into the American workforce, American schools, American communities, American homes, and ultimately, into the mind of every American who is willing to cultivate a desire to work, plan, strive, and exercise self-discipline.
PART 3: What is Self-Action Leadership?
Self-Action Leadership theory is a morally informed version of self-leadership theory. Self-leadership refers to the cognitive & behavioral strategies human beings apply to lead themselves to get results.
Whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not, you are a self-leader. All human beings are self-leaders; however, not everyone is effective at leading themselves.
Self-leadership theory has been bandied about the academy for over three decades now. The Father of the Field – Dr. Charles C. Manz of the University of Massachussetts – first published the term along with his theory of self-leadership in 1983.
Many scholars were hesitant at first to embrace an idea that seemed so self-evident and relatively unimportant.
However, as Dr. Manz and his colleagues continued to publish new papers on the subject, self-leadership theory began to receive greater attention and respect in academic circles and beyond, especially as it began informing practical professional leadership models and constructs such as self-directed work teams, also known as self-managed work teams.
Over time, this once marginalized sector of the academy has increasingly garnered the attention of major players in the leadership field. Perhaps it was the Darden Business School’s James G.S. Clawson, who said it best when, in 2008, he wrote:
I remember when Manz first came out with his work on self-leadership. At the time it seemed odd to me. I will admit I am a slow learner on some things. [because] I have come to believe that one of the biggest leadership issues [throughout the World today] is the inability of people – even and especially managers and executives – to lead themselves. [1]
Thus it is that from the Board Room to the Classroom; from the Executive Suite to the entry-level cubicle; and from the Oval office to the 18-year-old voter, self-leadership is a universal concept—applicable to all.
Self-Action Leadership theory, or just SAL theory, mirrors self-leadership theory in many ways. For example, we agree with Dr. Manz that:
Effective self-leadership can be learned and thus is not restricted to people we describe as "self-starters," "self-directed," "self-motivated," etc. The ideas provided by self-leadership … are [therefore] relevant to … anyone who works. [2]
SAL also builds upon self-leadership theory in two KEY ways.
First, the SAL theory & model is independent of, and dramatically expands upon, Manz’s existing self-leadership theory through the original use of atmospheric and construction metaphors.
Second, SAL adds to existing self-leadership theory by providing a moral imperative to both its instruction & application.
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| The inner compass of Conscience |
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| Conscience: The Light Within |
Any thought, word, or action that leads to negative or destructive long-term results for any human being impacted (including yourself) cannot qualify as SAL. All SAL-influenced thoughts, words, and deeds will contribute to positive and constructive long-term ends of any human being impacted thereby; if they do not, they cannot qualify as SAL actions.
Thus Self-Action Leadership draws a moral line in the sand by making explicit what so often is not clearly, much less overtly, stated in businesses, schools, communities, neighborhoods, and homes—that there really is a real wrong and a real right, and as human beings who live interconnected lives, we have an existential duty to try our best to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong—and to teach others to do the same.
My vision of Self-Action Leadership is to teach the theory & model to everyone in America who is willing to listen—and then, after the message has been thoroughly proliferated here at home, my colleagues and I aim to take it to the rest of the world.
SAL training is needed everywhere because, as Dr. Clawson so piercingly pointed out, it isn’t just kindergartners and college students who struggle with personal leadership issues; otherwise polished managers and executives often struggle right alongside the rest of us.
From Board rooms and corporate settings to blue collar establishments; from universities to elementary schools; from community centers to living rooms, and from the bookshelves of executives to the popular blogs of stay-at-home moms, there is no corner of society where SAL training is not needed—and needed badly.
Self-Action Leadership training is not reserved for privileged populations. In fact, underprivileged populations need SAL education as badly as anyone. Fortunately, there is no secular message that will more powerfully empower the presently powerless than the message SAL has to offer.
[1] Clawson, J. G. S. (2008). Leadership As Managing Energy. International Journal of Organizational Analysis. Volume 16, Issue 3. p. 174-181. DOI:10.1108/19348830810937943. Page 175.
[2] Manz, C. C. (1983). Improving Performance Through Self-leadership. National Productivity Review (pre-1986). Volume 2, Issue 3, p. 288-297. Page 289.
[3] Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 85.
