LEADERS PROMOTE GROWTH IN THEMSELVES AND THE TEAMMATES THEY LEAD
So many leaders I have coached are almost solely focused on the performance of the people they manage and lead. Did they finish that project? Did they write that memorandum? Did they plan and conduct that meeting? In essence, did they check all the appropriate boxes?
These kinds of performance goals are based on vision – vision for the department and the organization. However, the best leaders also focus on growth goals because they know that growth goals are the engine that drives performance.
In order to help our people create growth goals for themselves, we must first help them identify their growth gaps. And we really cannot do that until and unless we do the hard work of identifying our own growth gaps as leaders. We must make time to look in the mirror and see our own leadership blind spots or opportunities for growth.
Once we notice, name and acknowledge our own growth gaps, we can commit to moving through our own misgivings or fears with courage and vowing to help fill in those gaps.
I invite you to find a quiet place and a quiet time to engage in some introspection so you can name your growth gap areas and then determine a strategy to work on each of them. Your own growth gap areas could include one or more of the following:
-Communication
-Leadership
-Consistency
-Procrastination
-Knowledge
-Experience
-Courage
-Guilt
-Discipline
-Authenticity
-Integrity
-Focus
-Insecurity
-Planning
-Prioritization
-Self-Awareness
-Perseverance
-Preparation
-Professionalism
-Patience
-Mindset
-Time Management
-Employee Management
-Forgiveness
That’s a long list, isn’t it? It is long because there are so many areas of potential growth for us and the people we lead. Where do you wish to focus your own efforts at personal and professional growth? Starting tomorrow, what is one area you can focus on? Experiment in just one area, then notice what worked well and what did not work well.
To achieve growth in any of these leadership areas, we must adopt stretch goals. We must learn that feeling uncomfortable is acceptable. We must acknowledge that every failure is an opportunity to learn. We must try on an attitude of experimentation. We can engage in reading up on a subject, reflecting on how we are growing and even consider formal or informal coaching.
If you are having difficulty identifying your own growth gaps, you can ask. Who do you ask? Ask your own leader or manager. Ask colleagues whose judgment and experience you respect. Ask people you lead or manage who know you well.
Pick one or more areas of growth on which you decide to focus. You can ask any of these people a scale question: “On a scale of 1-10 where do you think I stand in this particular leadership or management area?”
Then after you identify the growth gap(s) on which you endeavor to work, you can ask yourself a similar question: “On a scale of 1-10, how committed am I to closing this growth gap?” Another wonderful coaching question you can pose to yourself is: “Looking ahead five years, and looking back to now, what do I wish I would have done to address my own growth gaps?”
Remember, friends: The bigger your goals, the bigger your personal commitment needs to be!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry