Over time leaders can lose their effectiveness if they don’t renew and enhance their skills. What we did and how we did things in the past may have yielded good results then, but maintaining the same flight plan won’t necessarily get us to where we need to go in the future. Leaders have to be continuous learners to an unprecedented degree. We must have a high commitment to self-improvement and engage in an ongoing process of expanding and fine-tuning our capabilities. When we focus on our personal development, treating mistakes and shortcomings as opportunities for improvement, we create environments where others feel safe to do the same.
One of the keys behind self leadership is achieving personal well-being. Maintaining a healthy balance between work and one’s physical and emotional needs can never be undervalued. Wellness releases positive energy and provides us with even stronger internal resources for coping, managing stress, and maintaining composure. Personal growth and renewal is hardly easy, but the benefits of adopting the thinking patterns and habits of a leader with a self-actualizing work style multiply exponentially.
Leaders who do well in this area:
- Engage in positive self-talk; they take stock and look for fresh perspectives
- Take part in a variety of activities unrelated to and outside of work
- Have mentors to guide and support them, especially when under stress and/or facing difficulties
- Stay current, seek educational programs and other opportunities for learning or self-development
- Use humor, have fun, and appropriately look for a “lighter side”.
We welcome your thoughts and comments.
Tom Sullivan is an executive leadership and organizational development consultant with ProGrowth Associates.
Follow on Twitter: @ProGrowth_News
