Leaders must continue to grow. Yes, we’re busy as leaders. But we better be busy with important activities. The number one thing we as leaders need to do is continue to grow our leadership ability. (And if any of us believe ‘we have arrived’ in the area of leadership, I would recommend updating the resume.) We need to grow to make room so our team to can grow.
John Maxwell†, who was once again voted the world’s number one leadership expert (this time by Inc. Magazine), continues to this day to have two ‘learning lunches’ each month. At these meetings, he asks these leaders about how they lead, how they think, etc. And he’s the number one leadership expert in the world! (Hint to us all: Maybe that’s one of the reasons he got there.)
Growing our leadership ability is a process. As John says, “Leadership develops daily, not in a day”. We need to have an intentional plan to develop our leadership ability; our ability to influence others. And experience isn’t the best teacher. If experience isn’t intentionally evaluated, it’s just experience.
And while evaluated experience can be a good way to develop our leadership ability, here are three problems with depending upon experience alone to develop and grow our leadership ability.
- Experience takes time. It took John around 20 years to come up with and write the book on “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” (The #1 book in the world on leadership). I can now teach those laws (and how to apply them), in a Mastermind Group setting, in 7 or 8 weeks.
- We don’t control it. If we worked at Microsoft, we can’t just walk into Bill Gates’ office and say, “Hey, Billy, what do you say you let me run the company for six months or so, just so I can get some leadership experience?” It just doesn’t work that way.
- We need to take time to reflect on it. Without reflection, without taking time to evaluate that experience in the appropriate way, we will learn very little.
So what should our leadership develop plan include? Well here’s some ideas:
- A structured leadership training program. These programs give you the big picture; the principles of leadership.
- Read books and study leadership programs (audio or video). These tend to provide leadership practices.
- Listen to podcasts; read articles and blogs. These tend to be shorter and expect to pick up tips, ideas or ways of specific examples.
- Get around better leaders. They will help you develop your leadership ability through example.
- Find mentors; hire a coach if you can. These people can help you quickly grow your leadership ability by personally guiding you in your leadership journey.
How much better of a leader are you now than you were a year ago? Are you intentional in your growth? What does your leadership development plan include?
†Note: I am a founding partner with John in The John Maxwell Team: an international team of coaches, trainers and speakers.
