I am going to ask a question. Please give an honest answer.
What have you done in the last 30 days to improve your leadership skills? If you are hesitating, unsure of the answer, then the answer is nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Don’t you want to report to a leader who is knowledgeable, aware of the latest trends in the world, and in your industry? Of course you do.
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Okay, second chance. What have you done in the last 60 days to develop your leadership skills? How about the last 90 days? The last 6 months? The last year? If the answer is nothing on all counts, then I believe you have a cause for concern. Sure, you may have learned new skills on the job. Someone may have taught you a new approach or process. A colleague may have shared a new way to look at a problem. To very loosely paraphrase Janet Jackson, “What have you done for you lately?” If you haven’t done anything to improve your skills in the last year, then that needs to change. Here are the excuses that I hear from leaders like you around the country:
“I’m too busy to go to training. I already work a million hours a week.”
“I can’t take time to attend an industry conference.”
“I can’t go off for three days to some leadership retreat… I’m already stretched to the limit.”
“What are you, nuts? How am I supposed to find time for that?
Being too busy to learn is the leadership conundrum. Not learning creates a major threat. What kind of threat? You run the risk of becoming a leader who is irrelevant, out of touch, and behind the times – the polar opposite of cutting edge. Think of knowledge as your weapon to combat this hazard. Here are five reasons why you need to develop additional leadership thinking and skills:
#1 — You owe it to your team. Don’t you want to report to a leader who is knowledgeable, aware of the latest trends in the world, and in your industry? Of course you do. That’s the kind of leader your team wants to work with as well. I recently met an executive who told me, “I don’t do computers.” When I asked him what that meant, he said, “I don’t use the computer, I don’t write emails, I write everything on legal pads, and my assistant types them up.” Do you think that his team views him as a progressive leader? Is the respect level increased or decreased?
#2 — You owe it to yourself. You put in lots of hours. You’ve worked hard to get to the position of leadership that you’re in. When you commit to development by working with a coach, attending a training session or an industry convention, learning becomes a form of reward for what you have accomplished. Another benefit is that you can meet other amazing leaders who can be a resource as a colleague, friend, or mentor. I recently spent over $2000.00 of my own money to attend a three-day industry conference. I’m convinced that it will make me back what I spent ten times over. The connections I made, and the seminars I attended where invaluable. Conference costs: $2000. What I learned: priceless.
#3 — You owe it to your organization. The organization that hired you hired a great employee with a certain amount of skill and experience. However, the rapid pace of change in the world means that knowledge and skill is something that needs to be updated constantly. Think of a doctor who graduated medical school 25 years ago. This doctor hasn’t read anything new in the field, attended any seminars, or studied any progressive medical techniques since graduation. Would you want this person as your primary care physician? Quite simply, having the latest and greatest grasp of knowledge makes you an invaluable asset to your organization. Make sure that if they had to do it all over again, your company would want to rehire you. On another note, if you stay up to date and your peers don’t, you are much more likely than them to get promoted. It is your secret competitive edge.
#4 — You need to maximize your creativity. I believe that stagnation is the death of creativity. It is very easy to get caught up both in your own way of thinking, and in the organizations’ way of thinking. I’ve seen a lot of the “groupthink” syndrome, meaning everyone in a group starts thinking exactly the same. When I start asking challenging questions, they often look at one another, and someone will say, “I don’t know why we haven’t thought of that.” They didn’t think of that because they were caught up in groupthink. When leaders go off-site to a conference or a training session, they often come up with new ideas and approaches. They come back refreshed, with their creativity enhanced.
#5 — You need to make yourself “fireproof”. Am I saying that by having a plan of continuous development, you can’t be fired? No. But if you are up to date, knowledgeable, and smart, there is a lesser chance of you being fired, because you are an indispensable asset. Here is the real point: even if you get fired, your continuous development makes you a very desirable candidate. People want to hire a knowledge savvy leader. I was recently meeting with a client, and they mentioned Jim Collins, the author of several great business books. I mentioned that I had seen Jim Collins speak at an industry conference. I believe that enhanced my credibility. A higher level of credibility makes you a more desirable candidate. Guess what else attending conferences does for you? It allows you to network with other executives who may have an opportunity in their organization for you in the future, adding to your ability to be “fireproof.”
Don’t wait for your company to do it, don’t wait for your boss to do it, and don’t wait for the annual review to do it. Do it NOW, today.
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Pull out a legal pad right now. Write your name across the top, and write a line down the middle. On the column on the left, at the top, write down “strengths”. On the column on the right, at the top, write “areas for improvement”. Fill out both sides. Once that is complete, make a list of what you can do specifically in the next year to work on the right hand column. It may be through reading, attending training seminars, conferences, private coaching, mentoring, listening to audios, or e-learning. This is now in writing and it is your Individual Growth and Development Plan. Don’t wait for your company to do it, don’t wait for your boss to do it, and don’t wait for the annual review to do it. Do it NOW, today. This is your life and your career. It’s time for you to take control. I am sure Janet Jackson would be proud to know she had an impact on your life.
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Originally published in B2B Magazine and is republished on Medium.
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