Self-management usually enters any conversation about leadership development rather quickly, because a leader must reach some level of individual achievement before becoming a credible leader, and self-management underlies and supports individual achievement.
 
So, does this mean that a leader must be perfectly self-disciplined?  Of course, the answer is no.  Every step forward in self-management, however, advances a leader's development.  And for those who aspire to lead but are not yet leading others, self-management is undoubtedly the critical starting ground.  
 
It would be impossible to outline every aspect or stage of self-management.  Nevertheless, several aspects are worthy of special attention for lawyers.  Those areas include:
 

• Time mastery  Lawyer-Leaders must have mastered the ability to prioritize their tasks and tasks they delegate to others, so that they do the right things at the right time.  Time mastery is, of course, a life-long pursuit and a process that changes as one's responsibilities change and as technology changes.  A leader must, however, be reasonably efficient and effective in the way she uses time.
   
• Communication skills  Lawyer-Leaders must communicate clearly and respectfully not only with those whom the leader seeks to lead but indeed with all of the people with whom the Lawyer-Leader comes in contact.
   
• Balance with personal life  I've never been a fan of the concept of "work/life balance" because it implies that balance is a point that is either attained or not, when a more useful concept is that of an integration of work and life together in a way that is probably always in some sort of flux. 

  Regardless of the term used, though, a leader must develop balance or integration in a way that works for him.  That state will vary from leader to leader, depending on the leader's family engagements, outside interests, and the day-to-day intensity of his work.  An effective leader must be satisfied with the balance he has achieved or be in the process of working toward reaching a more satisfying balance.  Otherwise, competing demands will detract from his leadership and/or he may suffer burnout or high stress that will undermine his ability to lead.

• Physical conditioning  Because the nature of legal work is almost entirely intellectual, lawyers tend to be "floating heads" with little connection to, and sometimes little tolerance for, the body.  It is evident that the body supports the head (both literally and metaphorically), and an effective leader is attentive to the body as well.  That attention prompts the leader to make a habit of getting sufficient rest, adequate nutrition, and enough exercise to create and support energy.  Leaders who neglect the physical component tend to burn out.
• Self-awareness As discussed in Bill George's book True North, reviewed in the first issue of Leadership Matters for Lawyers, authenticity is a critical characteristic of an effective leader.  Self-awareness necessarily underlies authenticity.  To draw from PT Barnum's famous quote, "you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time," but an effective leader seeks never to fool him- or herself.
• Focus A leader must develop the ability to focus on the tasks at hand as well as the big picture view of where those tasks are directed without being distracted by other concerns or interruptions. Those who meditate often refer to meditation as the process of quieting the "monkey mind."  Whether through meditation or otherwise, an effective leader must learn to master her monkey mind.

These examples are, naturally, a nonexclusive list of a wide variety of habits and attitudes necessary for individual achievement and for effective leadership.  Self-management can and must be tweaked in view of currently existing circumstances, and a leader can never check off self-management as a completed task.
 
How strong is your foundation?
 
Do you need to improve your own self-management?  A gut answer is quite often accurate, but if you're unsure try this: think about your past week, and check to see whether there is any point at which you felt you were performing less effectively than you know you could.  If so, question whether greater self-management or self-discipline might have improved your performance. 
 
Alternatively, ask three or four trusted colleagues or mentors whether they see an opportunity for you to increase your effectiveness by developing stronger self-management habits.  A useful way to phrase the question to yourself and to others is to inquire, if I were to make one change that would most dramatically increase my effectiveness, what would that be?