Self-Leadership Development: The Link between Body,Mind, and Reflection

Based on self-leadership theory, experiential learning theory and considering current findings from neuroscience, this paper focuses on the physical and cognitive perspective of learning and intends to analyze the relationship between body, mind, and reflection in order to develop selected selfleadership competencies. It aims to provide an insight whether physical experience and awareness combined with intellectual reflection can bring potential changes in the self-assessment of self-leadership competencies in a way that it blends in with current theory. Based on the assumption, that leadership competencies can hardly be developed simply by theoretical input and learning is a process of real experience, reflective observation, forming abstract concepts and testing in new situations (Kolb’s experiential learning theory, 1984), an innovative approach to develop and strengthen selected self-leadership competences for a sustainable success has been designed. The learning method comprises physical experience and awareness along with intellectual reflection. Therefore, the students of the master´s program “International Health & Social Management” at the MCI Management Center Innsbruck, Austria, participated and experienced these aspects in a two semester long learning process on self-leadership. It can be shown that there is a need for new ways in the development of self-leadership competencies, in terms of understanding the relationship between learning, physical experience and awareness developing selected self-leadership competences (e.g. self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, constructive thought patterns, concentration and relaxation) through physical experience and awareness combined with intellectual reflection.