Jann E. Freed

Self-care begins with you. The most important person to lead is yourself. When you invest in your own well-being, you inspire others around you to do the same.

Leadership literature is exploding with books and articles to help us become better leaders. At the same time, numerous leadership programs, institutes, centers, coaches, and consultants claim to develop more effective leaders. Annually, the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard measures public confidence in leadership with its National Leadership Index (NLI). It surveys Americans’ attitudes toward their leaders, including 13 of the country’s major sectors such as the military, religious, education, and business. In 2012, according to the NLI, “some 69 percent of Americans still believe we have a leadership crisis.”