Personal Growth in Leadership

We have devoted a good deal of time discussing the all-important quality of self-awareness in highly effective leadership.

This is a good segue into another quality: growth. One simple definition of growth is an increase in quantity, quality, and/or development over time. We can grow individually, increasing our skills, understanding, etc., as well as grow as a team and an organization, increasing our ambition, our sites, ability to serve clients, etc.

Today we will discuss one specific aspect of individual growth: continuous improvement.

We have often offered that striving for continuous improvement is a foundation of success. Continuously seeking to improve requires a sense of humility, i.e., that I may be good, I can be better, and that I will try to improve every day!

We greatly admire leaders who allow themselves to be vulnerable by sharing their development opportunities and asking for and being receptive to feedback from colleagues, clients, and others.

Growth can be characterized by a breakthrough change, a transformation as a significant development, which is great. More often, though, growth takes the form of incremental improvements over time. For example, trying to change long-standing habits is not easy and takes time.

If we can openly strive for continuous improvement and encourage and help our teammates and other colleagues to do so as well, we, as leaders, will make an important, very positive impact on our organization. This is a fine model of the culture we want – a culture of teammates working together, helping one another, sharing, collaborating, having positive energy, vigorously working to be our best selves.

Clearly, self-awareness and self-reflection help enable us to know our areas of potential growth. Quietly and objectively examining ourselves will open helpful windows of thinking, for example:

• How am I helping others succeed?
• What more might I do?
• How do I want to be received by others?
• How am I being received by others?
• What am I missing? Not doing?
• What is right?
• What can I do tomorrow to be more effective as a leader?

Not only should we reflect and decide how we can improve, but also, in order to significantly heighten the likelihood of our success, we should take the time to write a personal development plan. It need not be extensive, just thoughtful and comprehensive, and definitely in writing.

We can make a difference in our organization by sharing our development plan with our colleagues and asking for their help by observing us and offering their feedback, and also by holding ourselves accountable to someone for our progress. The person to whom we are accountable could be our boss, our colleague, our coach, our spouse or significant other or another family member, someone who will hold us accountable/responsible to follow through on our plan.

In some instances, improvement may mean breaking a personal habit, which is not easy, as often these are 10, 20 or 30-year habits. It’s best to try daily self-observation practices. Journal or at least make notes in a dedicated notebook following interactions, e.g., How did I do? How was I received? How did I feel? How did I observe how others felt? How might I be better?

It takes at least a month to grow out of a habit. We can do it, if we truly want to do it, commit to do it, be dutiful and disciplined in our approach, and ask for help and feedback. And, of course, we must believe in ourselves!

Striving for our personal growth is contagious in an organization and is a wonderful model of leadership. It’s Common Sense Leadership!