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Diary of a Leader: Lead Yourself First

  • Writer: Lindsay Sheldrake
    Lindsay Sheldrake
  • Oct 1, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Apr 4

Welcome to "Diary of a Leader" - Real Stories, Leadership Lessons, and Personal Growth

Lindsay Sheldrake - Lead Yourself First
Diary of a Leader - Lead Yourself First


Ah, leadership! The thrilling, heart-racing journey of ups, downs, and all the delightful chaos in between.


Welcome to "Diary of a Leader," where I peel back the curtain on the good, the bad, and the downright awkward moments of being a leader.





And today, I’m serving up part two of the lesson I started in my last post.


If part one was about staying open to the unexpected, then today’s lesson is about what I discovered along the way: The biggest breakthrough wasn’t about how to lead others—it was about how to lead myself.


Leading Yourself First—The Key to Better Leadership


The Hard Truth (Yep, This One Was Tough)


I walked into this program ready to learn how to support my team better—especially when it came to their well-being. But along the way, I realized something: I wasn’t taking care of my own well-being.


Let me explain.


I had been so focused on fixing things for everyone else that I never stopped to check in with myself. I wasn’t showing up as my best self because I wasn’t leading myself properly. And honestly, it’s hard to lead others when you’re running on empty.



The Big Realization: Leadership Starts with You


This hit me hard. We spent a lot of time in the program talking about wellness—not just for our teams, but for leaders too. And I’ll be honest, I wasn’t practicing what I preached.


I realized that while I was so focused on helping my team through stress and burnout, I wasn’t even close to being in a healthy place myself. And that affected how I showed up as a leader. You can’t pour from an empty cup, right? Well, mine was pretty much dry.


Here’s the truth:


Before you can lead others well, you have to lead yourself. You need to be in a healthy, grounded place mentally, emotionally, and physically. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re not going to show up fully for your team.


How I Turned It Around (And You Can Too)


So, what did I do with this realization? I made some real changes.


Here are a few shifts I made to make sure I was showing up as the best version of myself:


Set Boundaries

  • I realized that I needed to protect my energy. I couldn’t always be “on,” so I set clear boundaries around my time and availability. This gave me space to recharge.


Prioritized Self-Care

  • Self-care isn’t just bubble baths (though I won’t say no to those!). For me, it was about making time for small things that brought me peace—like quiet walks, reading, or just taking 10 minutes to sit and breathe.


Checked In with Myself

  • I made it a habit to ask myself daily, “How am I feeling?” This simple check-in gave me the awareness to recognize when I was stretching myself too thin and allowed me to course-correct.


Let Go of Trying to Fix Everything

  • I learned that I couldn’t carry every burden, nor could I fix everything for everyone. Sometimes, the best way to support my team was to let them find their own solutions.



What This Means for You (Yes, You!)


If you’re leading a team (or hoping to), let me leave you with this: Leading others starts with leading yourself.


It’s easy to get caught up in taking care of your team and fixing everyone’s problems, but don’t forget to take care of you. You’ll be a stronger, more grounded leader when you prioritize your own well-being.


So, here’s my challenge for you:

Take a moment to reflect. Are you leading yourself as well as you’re leading your team? If the answer is “no,” it’s time to make some changes. Set boundaries, prioritize your well-being, and give yourself the space to breathe. You’ll thank yourself later—and so will your team.


Wrapping Up (Because We’ve All Got Things to Do)


That’s the second part of this leadership lesson: To lead others well, you have to start by leading yourself. It’s not always easy, and it’s definitely a balancing act, but it makes all the difference.


Catch you next time, fellow leaders-in-training—and remember, you can’t lead from an empty cup. Take care of you first.


Project Leadership - Lead Yourself First
Taking a moment to reflect, Waterton, AB

Stay tuned for more reflections and lessons from the trenches of leadership in the next installment of


"Diary of a Leader "






Additional Resources


Here are some great resources that support leading yourself first in leadership:



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