10 Essentials for Exponential Growth
Every time you accept an unsatisfying present you shrivel and die a little. You don’t have to change everything. But, you have to change something.
Stop thinking about growth and get busy growing.
Your growth is your responsibility.
10 essentials for exponential growth:
- Focus on opportunities. Find opportunity in difficulty.
- Resolve to make things better, not perfect.
- Compassion on others and yourself.
- Guidance from mentors.
- Boldness to take the next step, even if you feel inadequate.
- Humility to receive suggestions from others.
- Appreciation for those who walk with you.
- Openness to learn from mistakes.
- Grit to try again when efforts fall short.
- Awareness that the journey ends when you stop opening doors that create discomfort.
Bonus: Courage to ignore critics who complain from the sidelines.
Overcoming 4 barriers to growth:
Disappointing people:
Never stop growing because someone disappointed you. Why give up because they stopped trying.
Tip: During disappointment show compassion and high standards.
Lack of resources:
Don’t complain that you need more resources. Use the ones you have.
Lack is creativity’s invitation.
Tip: Invite input from outsiders when resources dry up.
Falling short:
Everyone who reaches high falls short.
Those who never fall short aren’t reaching high enough.
Tip: If you reach high and fall short, celebrate how far you reached. Reach most of your goals. Set a few out of reach.
Increasing uncertainty:
Growing through uncertainty instills a can-do attitude. Boldness comes from succeeding at something you weren’t sure you could do. Fear says, “You can’t do it.”
The closer you get to starting new challenges the more uncertain you feel. Just start.
Tip: Find courage by telling stories of past courage.
Finally:
Successful leaders develop others. Your greatest opportunity isn’t results. It’s developing leaders who deliver results.
How might roadblocks be opportunities?
Which of the 10 essentials to growth speaks to you?
Dan,
You often capture in your posts; humility and an open heart guide the learning path of a leader.
Thanks L.B. The alternative seems unacceptable. 🙂
How might roadblocks be opportunities?
When we look at roadblocks as detours that might send us on a better road.
Thanks J. In the past, I spent too much energy pressing through. It would have been better to step back and choose an alternative path while keeping the goal in mind. 🙂
Constantly falling short can discourage anyone, until they have this understanding. When we realise that happiness and satisfaction are two different things. We can be happy in the midst of disappointment if we view it correctly. Thanks for the reminder Dan. 🙂
I have to remember that difficulty is a door, not a K-Rail, and not a 5th-story window.
Dan,
Thanks for your posts that are sometimes so timely that I felt you’ve read my troubled mind. It helps to remind myself that these “growth opportunities” are universal experiences and that there are ways to overcome.
Dan, would you mind if I included this post in our 2016 leadership challenge? The theme will be “Never Stop Learning.” Your work would be a great addition. I would give you proper credit. Wonderful piece. Thanks for IGNITING the Spark for Leadership! ~ Pam 🙂
Dan, I’m fairly new to your site but this post is my favorite thus far! Very well done. It sparked this thought – If you always hit your goals, congratulations on reaching mediocrity.
Oh your words were great but all that was overshadowed by the funny pic… I love a good leader, I love a great post. Thanks.
some really great tips. Often it is not about having resources, but learning to be resourceful.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that you reach and stretched and grew and learned. You now have a new vantage point for your next attempt.