When is the Last Time you did Something for the First Time?
I was working at a large organization in the Fortune 500 early on in my career. The span of control for many leaders was averaged around 10 direct reports, with 50-100 people reporting up through them in a given department. Over the years I watched as some leaders had a reputation as the kind of leader you wanted to work for, while others simply were not sought after. Those popular leaders had no problem filling open positions internally and enjoyed loyal and dedicated teams. In fact, working for that leader was a mark of excellence; a feather in the cap that opened other doors in the organization down the road. It was powerful.
These leaders were known as the developers of people. You could count on being stronger professionally after having worked in their area. During that time, you took in loads of new learning, best practices and with that credibility in the organization. These great leaders knew what it meant to give their best to their teams. Here’s the key, they knew it started with being the best themselves. This led them to have a strong, clear focus on personal growth, first for themselves, thus benefitting their teams.
How do you begin to develop yourself so you can give the best to others on your team? Here are some questions to begin thinking about how you can grow?
Questions to ask yourself as you consider how to grow as a leader:
- Can you recall the last time you did something new for your own personal growth?
- When was the last time you were uncomfortable because you were doing something new or different you have not experienced before?
- What growth and learning goals have you set for yourself? How do you track progress against those goals? With whom do you share those goals?
- What new skills or knowledge have you gained in the last 6 months?
- What new skills or knowledge that you have gained have you managed to apply in the last 6 months?
- What actions do you take every day to ensure you are growing?
- When is the last time you did something for the first time? (A key point made in the title of this article)
- Are you sharing with others what you are learning? How?
How did you do? Was it easy to consider the answers to these questions? Or were unsure of how to respond? Let’s reframe these questions to use them as a starting point to create a plan for your own development by changing the lead-in from “can you?” or “what?” to “how can you”. Use these to build, share and execute your plan. Set yourself apart from others. As Warren Bennis said, “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from followers.”
Questions to ask yourself in order to build a plan to grow as a leader:
- How can you do something new for your own personal growth?
- How can you make yourself uncomfortable by doing something new or different you have not experienced before?
- What growth and learning goals can you set for yourself? How will you track progress against those goals? Who will you share those goals with?
- What new skills or knowledge will you gain in the next 6 months?
- How will you apply these new skills or knowledge that you plan to gain in the next 6 months?
- What actions will you take every day to ensure you are growing?
- What can you do or experience for the first time that will facilitate your growth or development?
- How will you share with others what you are learning?