I’ve been writing in a journal occasionally over the past 20 years.  Recently I’ve started writing almost daily for the past five months.  Sometimes I write personal reflections/recollections of what happened, or how I’m thinking about the present situation, or I look to the future.

Today, I posed a challenging question to myself:  What is the most important, greatest impact, longest lasting activity or objective I could get involved with right now?

I wrestled with this question for over half an hour and came up with three answers.  The third answer had seven sub-parts to it.  Asking myself questions like this allow me to go deep, to inquire into my real motivations, to examine what is truly important to me.

Leaders who want to develop top talent need to examine themselves periodically and be in touch with their deeper drives, motives, touchstones.  I find that when I do this for myself, I’m in turn more likely to take other people further and deeper in developing themselves.

Grab a journal and pose a challenging question or set of questions to yourself and then wrestle with the answers for a while.  It will do you good and it will help you grow as a leader too.  Then commit to do this on a periodic basis to keep your authenticity and integrity honed to a sharper edge.  It makes all the difference when the going gets tough.