Leadership is about change.  If you need no change, you need no leader.  In times of change, people seek out more and better leaders.  Those successful sought-out leaders embrace the following thought: “The best reformers the world has ever known are those who began with themselves.”

• Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change that we envision.”
 
• Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

The following comments are about personal change:

1. One person cannot change another person.

When I started as a young leader, I thought that a leader could change the people; and boy, did I work at it.  I said, “All right, I’m going to give them thoughts, ideas, and principles; and I’m going to change people.”

After several years, I awakened to the thought that the only person who can change himself or herself is himself or herself. You can change yourself, but I cannot change you.  You see, I am responsible to you but I am not responsible for you; and there is a world of difference between those two.  I am responsible for teaching you good leadership, I am responsible for sharing things that can help add value to your life; but you are the only one who can take responsibility to change yourself, and that is what this whole article is about.