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Reframing how individuals think and engage in leadership/professional/personal development.
It's been proven that there is a direct correlation between the openness to self-improve (whether it be personally or professionally) and one’s level of happiness and life satisfaction (read article).
Since we are not as good at shielding our work life from our home baggage and vice-versa, the growth experienced in one area of our lives will ultimately also positively impact other areas. We therefore know that taking the time to work on self-improvement, especially as a leader - either at home or at work, will inevitably have an overall positive impact on your life, which will in turn create a more positive work environment, happier employees, which then typically translate to higher productivity and quality of work. I consider myself extremely fortunate to get to witness this phenomenon with the growth and the reinvigorated engagement through coaching with my clients every day. When organizations truly value learning and growth in their employees, they will provide each of them (no matter their “rank”), with the time and resources to do it.
So why do so many struggling employees turn their noses up at the idea of self-improvement? Here are the top 4 reasons I hear about the most.
Assumptions about lack of time: but let me remind you, it’s not about working harder or more – it's simply about approaching your work differently. So do what you need to do to carve out that space on a regular basis – even if it is minimal. Consistency is key!
It requires a certain amount of vulnerability. I absolutely realize that not everyone is in a headspace to be able to shift the needle from surviving to thriving. I completely respect everyone’s journey. But if you are on the fence about dipping your toe in charting your development and growth, then I suggest that you “just do it!” rather than overthink it.
Access to meaningful personal/professional development opportunities. We tend to think of professional development in terms of technical skills. So-called soft skills can also be learned and are often the tiebreaker in promotions when there are so many equally skilled applicants. These “soft skills” are particularly easy to implement into your workday, and practicing them doesn’t usually add to your workload. Bottom line is, find something that you are interested in learning about or an area you are keen on growing in. Ask your employer what resources are available to you – or what budget is at your disposal should you need to outsource learning. Don’t wait for learning opportunities to come to you. Take charge of your growth journey!
They don’t have access to leaders within their workplace that model this behavior. Learning is very much tied to company culture. If the perception is that no one is doing it, then no one will look to do it.
As a former teacher who has taken on the role of leadership coach for the past 5 years, I can share tried and tested winning strategies I have seen in my adult students and clients about learning new habits, integrating learning into daily practice that tend to lead to the most significant growth:
You must be open to learning and accepting that you can stand to improve. To be open to learning, you must have the self-awareness to admit to yourself “I could do better” rather than perhaps default to “it’s someone else’s fault”. If you aren’t ready to believe that you can and should improve, no amount of self-help or leadership books will help.
An extension of the previous point, you must have an awareness around your skills gap. If you don’t know, simply ask those around you. After 6-8 people, you should start noticing a trend. Direct your focus in that area for a while. Repeat this process once you feel solid in your new skill.
Choose 1 new action item per week or to focus on for a month, depending on the skill. Integrate it into your daily or weekly routine by replacing old ineffective habits with your new and improved skills. Remember: It’s not about working more; it’s about being more efficient in how you work.
Create structure around your learning. Make space in your schedule to learn – and commit to respecting that space. Too often, it becomes the buffer time to do things you didn’t get around to doing. Treat your learning as one of your top priorities.
Surround yourself with individuals who also want to improve and use each other as accountability partners.
Share your learning and grow your circle of influence. I guarantee you that many others would stand to benefit from the learning you are doing.
Remind yourself often what the learning is about. Some people burn themselves out by earning as many certificates as possible, when in the grand scheme of things, they don’t need all of them. Do what will be of service to you – and keep some space for other things that fill your buckets.
Be patient and kind to yourself. No learning is ever perfectly linear. You will hit roadblocks, but you can overcome them and get back on track. Keep your eye on your goal!
Successful leaders know they can’t do it all. They are excellent at figuring out what their priorities are and having systems in place to achieve them. And you know what? Their skills didn’t magically fall from the sky. While they may not have shared their journey with you, they too had quite the learning curve to climb to get to where they are today. To become the excellent leader you aspire to be, you will also need to create a system or routine to learn and implement your new skills.
If you aim for a 1% improvement every day – by either integrating new habits, learning from mistakes or missteps and committing to executing differently the next day – you can only improve. Baby steps might feel insignificant but compound your daily steps and they will get you to your goals.
Whenever you are ready, there are 2 other ways I can help you:
1. If you are still looking to further improve your leadership skills, let me recommend starting with an affordable course:
→ The New Leader’s Survival Guide: Time Management
→ Stand Out From The Rest: Communicate Like An Effective Leader
2. If you are looking for a more customized leadership development experience, leadership coaching may be the better option to get you to your professional development goals faster. Book a complimentary “Discovery Call” to discuss your goals and see if working with a leadership coach might be the way to go.