5 Areas of Growth a Leader
should Continually Develop
Let’s be clear on this: just because you hash tag leader in
your bio, does not mean you are a leader! You no more select the title of
leader than you select the title of being an “influencer” in your industry.
These two title are awarded when the evidence of the traits have been
identified and verified. One thing, however, is synonymous with leadership –
and that is – growth!
If your desire is to influence others with your leadership,
or even if you are the leader of an organisation, perhaps a manager or
supervisor – that fact is, your followers, your team, or your organisation will
only grow to your level.
You are the glass ceiling that puts the stop on growth for
those that follow you. You become the proverbial lid on the pot! Growth becomes
the inert responsibility of those desiring leadership titles. For this reason;
growth, development, change, progress and creativity become the value words
central to leadership development. Stagnation of the leader could kill a team
and flat-line the team or organisation’s development.
Areas of development that a Leader should consider include:
2.
Self Awareness:
Knowing and understanding yourself is essential when in leadership or
management positions. Authenticity, Values and Beliefs, Strengths and
Weaknesses and Thinking Styles are all essential to a leader’s growth.
I strongly recommend you do the
Potential Profiler, as it will give you great understanding of who you are, how
you think and learn. It is also easily applied to understanding other people.
3.
Vocational
Skills: Invest in developing your skills and knowledge of your job. There
is no substitute for being a “subject matter expert” in your industry for
creating respect and influence. Most industries grow at a rate that requires
study and development programs every 15 to 16 months.
4.
People Skills: Leaders work with three concepts
– Navigation, Task Management and People. Take time to know your team. Take
time to understand people. Learn skills that will help you achieve this end.
These skills should also include Motivation, Discipline, Delegation, and
Conflict Management.
5.
Group Dynamics: Leadership is a verb that
describes the process of taking a team from point A to point B. Understand these dynamics, and learn the skills required to guide a team from its
formation into high level performance.
All five of these skills are dynamic in nature and continue
to evolve, develop and change. With so much depending on the continual growth
and development of the Leader to sustain the growth of the team, be sure to
spend some of your growth investment on these five skill areas – frequently!!
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