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We get it. Your days are likely packed! 

Between driving results, motivating your team, and managing urgent needs, carving out time for self-improvement can feel like a luxury. 

Here's the good news: there's a simple, scientifically-backed exercise that takes just 5 minutes and can significantly enhance your leadership skills.

This powerful tool is self-affirmation. 

Research indicates there is a link between self-affirmation and leadership effectiveness. 

In this issue we’re going to show you how to level up your leadership through a brief self-affirmation exercise that has been proven to improve problem-solving under stress and increase prosocial behavior - two crucial qualities for effective leadership.

Boosting Problem-Solving Under Pressure 

Leadership often involves tackling complex problems under tight deadlines. 

Creswell et al. conducted a study where participants completed a self-affirmation exercise before a demanding task. The results? 

Those who affirmed themselves displayed significantly better problem-solving skills under pressure compared to the control group. 

This suggests that self-affirmation bolsters our ability to stay calm and focused, even in challenging situations.

Enhancing Prosocial Behaviors

Great leaders understand the power of collaboration. They inspire and support their team members, fostering a positive and productive environment. 

Research has found that self-affirmation can lead to increased prosocial behavior, such as helping others and volunteering. 

This translates beautifully to leadership, as it allows you to build stronger relationships with your team and cultivate a culture of mutual support.

The 5 Minute Self-Affirmation Exercise

1. Rank the following values by order of importance; artistic skills, athletics, business/money, creativity, independence, music, politics, relations with friends and family, religious values, sense of humor, and spontaneity.

2. Write about your top ranked value. Spend 3 minutes writing about why it is important to you. Speak to how this value has positively influenced your life and how it impacts who you are.

That’s it. It’s really that simple. 

Self-affirmation is a simple yet powerful tool for leaders of all levels. 

By taking just 5 minutes, you can enhance your problem-solving abilities under pressure, boost your intrinsic motivation to help others, build stronger relationships with your team, and ultimately become a more effective leader.