I Expected Growth to Go Easier
I intensified my focus on personal growth and leadership development during the month of October. I expected things to go easier.
7 surprising secrets of personal growth and development:
Personal growth and leadership development require focus, rigor, tenacity, and clarity. There’s no hope for those who have arrived.
#1. Leadership development looks like hoeing beans, not riding roller coasters.
You may experience dramatic growth points. But flashes of growth are followed by long periods of undramatic, sweaty practice.
Growth and development are no accident.
#2. Successful leadership development goes beyond casual interest.
You’re doomed to mediocrity, unless you make leadership development a top priority. Development is fantasy for anyone who can’t explain their focus.
People who are growing know they’re growing.
#3. Leadership development happens in community.
Leadership development has more to do with locking arms with others than navel gazing in private.
Be transparent about the skills and behaviors you’re working to develop. Invite others to join you. Ask others to hold you accountable.
Growth often includes intervention from others.
#4. Trying new behaviors instigates growth. Practicing current behaviors stabilizes growth.
You stop growing when you stop trying new things.
#5. If you’re afraid to fail, you won’t grow.
The practice of kindness was more challenging than expected. I learned that my personal agenda collides with the practice of kindness.
Kindness often requires an interruption in current plans and schedules.
#6. Feedback is required for development.
Lack of feedback explains persistent blindspots and ineffective habits.
#7. Leadership development is all about behaviors.
Identify behaviors that build character because character is more important than charisma. Curiosity, openness, courage, and grit take you further than style and flare.
Leadership development has little to do with style and flare.
Bonus: Growth requires simplicity.
Limit development to one focus area. Complexity short circuits development.
You might develop curiosity by allowing six seconds of silence or asking a second question, for example.
What factors have been essential for your own personal growth and leadership development?
Leading by example!
Maybe that’s one reason growth is challenging. It’s more about practice than theory.
Self Awareness! Critical!
Thanks Lisa. What I find interesting about self-awareness is that the perspective of others is essential. Without others, we may deceive ourselves.
“Development is fantasy for anyone who can’t explain their focus.” Absolutly love this Quote!
Being receptive to critiques, developing a tough skin over the years! Standing back letting others run with the plan, it’s not about us, it’s where we all are going as a Team, a Company, a Country, a Church, the world. Everything is in constant motion until we stop trying!
Leadership Development is challenging and hard work. A lot of it involves increasing self-awareness, diagnosing situations, and knowing where to be on the spectrum of options in each situation. Options including:
Talk vs Listen
Ask vs Tell
Control vs Empower
Facts vs Feelings
Present vs Future
Direct vs Collaborate
Also finding the fime line between too much and too little—including
To much coaching vs too little coaching
To much discussion vs to little discussion
To much direction vs to little direction
Perfect practice makes perfect. Development occurs when you are intentional and purposeful around what knowledge, skills, behaviors you’re trying to grow.
All good points, Dan. I agree that leadership is built on character and character is developed best in community.
#3. Leadership development happens in community.
Leadership development has more to do with locking arms with others…
Nice. It’s a tough go (growth?) to let others, especially your own team, know what you are working on.
It’s easier to fear vulnerability.
I tell others that their teams already have guessed at your strengths and weaknesses. They already have judged what you should work on. lol
Why not put it out there and involve them in your own leadership development?
It’s not about a loss of control or looking weak.
I’ll bet many of us don’t work in “packs” where the leader is the most “alpha” of the group.
I like the line “Leadership development happens in community”.
If it takes a village to raise a child, why should the child abandon the village when they want to continue to grow into a leader?
I love this post. I’m about to give a talk on the three key competencies for team success, Leadership, Communication, and Trust. I think that the Leadership growth practices listed here are very helpful and I have added this post to my reading list. I especially love #3 and it is a key point in my presentation, leadership requires a social setting. You can’t lead only yourself. I think that self awareness and social awareness are very important to the person who seeks growth. I often tell people to ask others to help you grow by giving constructive feedback. It’s a great exercise not only for the person asking for the feedback but also for the person giving it.
#5. If you’re afraid to fail, you won’t grow.
Room needs to be made in my agenda for others.
Thank you for these insights! A couple of your points resonate in particular:
#6. Feedback is required for development. – Transparency and accountability within a leadership team requires openness and doing the work to generate a shared vision, rather than empowering an elite few to make decisions and act on the QT.
#4. Trying new behaviors instigates growth. Practicing current behaviors stabilizes growth.
– When lack of action is called “change management”, complacency, if not fear, is in control. Stability is one thing; stagnation is another.
My favorite: You stop growing when you stop trying new things.
Lately, my department has been undergoing quite a few changes. These changes involve stepping outside of our titles and cross training and becoming more involved in other people’s areas of responsibility. Some people are into it, and others are not. We cannot stay stagnant in our positions or careers. It is okay to play in other people’s sandboxes. Embrace new things and the possibilities will be endless.