This article is the 300th blog post I’ve written on leadership. What a journey! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your leadership growth and development.
I recently had a conversation with a young leader who is earning her degree in management. She is really motivated. But when I asked her about her growth plan, as with most people, she had none.
So I shared with her three fundamental growth disciplines that I want to remind you of as well. If you don’t already do them, you should make them a part of your lifestyle to maximize your personal growth and development.
I refer to these as Growth Disciplines, meaning they should be done whether or not you feel like it, even whether or not you see results. We discipline ourselves to do them because we know they work.
Plan Exposure Activities
Growth begins with exposure to new ideas, things you don’t already know, or ideas you do know but are not currently applying. Exposure launches us into growth in a way that simply trying harder just doesn’t accomplish.
What activities do you plan for growth? Some common resources include books, audiobooks, seminars, blogs, podcasts, and mentors. Determine where you want to see growth. Make a plan and follow through.
Write Things Down
This is so simple, yet rarely done. Keep a journal, a notebook, or an electronic system (not random papers) at your fingertips to record what you are learning. Capture what you are exposed to from talks, lectures, or books. I use a journal to manually record my notes. Then I transfer them electronically to other files on my computer.
What should you write down? Many times I see people trying to record everything, like students in a college lecture feverishly writing it all down because it may be on the exam. Instead, I think we should write:
Principles which are new to us. Ideas we may want to reflect upon and possibly apply.
Principles we have heard before, but are not yet applying. These are ideas we would like to think on further, particularly to apply more consistently or to approach differently in our lives.
Review What You Record
I schedule fifteen minutes daily to review and reflect on the ideas and principles I’ve written. For me, all that means is I read them. For example, I just read this quote: What you do well, develop daily; what you do poorly, delegate. I like it. I recorded it because even though I know this, I could do it better. For the next few weeks, I will read it daily, reflect on it, and hopefully start thinking about how to apply it.
When you are exposed to wonderful new ideas, remember to write down the take-aways and review them daily. These three fundamental Growth Disciplines will significantly increase your personal and leadership development.
Your Friend,
For Further Reading:
Aim to Have Disciplines, Not to Be Disciplined
Values of a Great Team: Growth
