Traditionally, leadership development programs in the federal government were designed for employees in management positions. However, the problem is that a majority of the employees who benefited from such development are leaving the federal service, creating a gap in the leadership ranks.

Self-Leadership is the influence exerted over oneself to achieve the self-motivation and self-direction needed to improve performance. In this book, Dr. Hardy proposes  Self-Leadership as a tool to help employees link individual performance to organizational results.

In designing a model self-leadership training program, Dr. Hardy surveyed 429 public managers of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers (AACPM) using a questionnaire that measured self-leadership skill. Dr. Hardy found that a limited number of federal government agencies were building self-influence constructs into their succession plans and competency models. However, survey results indicated that self-leadership was being practiced by public-sector managers.

The self-leadership training model is a practical approach for introducing employees to a concept and set of strategies that can lead to improved performance and organizational results. Managers and supervisors alike would benefit greatly from this training tool and are encouraged to consider it within their strategic planning efforts.