"The most important investment you can make is in yourself. Very few people get anything like their potential horsepower translated into the actual horsepower of their output in life. Potential exceeds realisation for many people…… Just imagine you’re 16 and I was going to give you a car of your choice today, any car you wanted to pick. But there was one catch. It was the only car you were able to have for the rest of your life. You had to make it last. So how would you treat it?

Well, of course you’d read the owners’ manual about five times before you turn the key in the ignition. You would keep it garaged; any little rust would get taken care of immediately; you’d change the oil twice as often as you were supposed to - because you would know it had to last a lifetime….

Then I tell the students you get one body and one mind. And it’s going to have to last you a lifetime so you’d better treat it the same way. You’d better start doing it right now because it doesn’t do any good if you start working on it when you are 50 or 60 and the little speck of rust has turned into something big… The best asset is your own self. You can become to an enormous degree the person you want to be."  Warren Buffet

This is great advice from a truly great investor. Taking the time and energy to investing oneself, is the starting point for great leadership. Leaders invest in themselves in the following ways.

• Leaders surround themselves with great people
• Leaders read great books
• Leaders have a personal growth plan

Investing in oneself takes time and nobody has any extra time, leaders make room for what’s most important and personal growth and learning is most important to leaders. Remember, successful leaders are generally those people who are willing to do what most others aren’t willing to do. How much are you investing in yourself? by GEORGE AMBLER on THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008 / The Practice of Leadership