As things around us change, it can feel like a challenge to remain relevant even if, as a leader, you have a clearly defined purpose.
Continuous learning and continuous growth are two of the efforts that can bring value to your life and your career as the world shifts around you. Successful people challenge themselves for continuous advancement.
Besides professional development, it’s helpful to have someone you can go to for advice. Humility is important in the leadership journey, especially if you find it difficult to ask for help. If there’s something you could use help with, it’s best to muster the courage to get assistance from someone else who’s been there.
It’s also helpful to align yourself with someone who shares a similar journey to yours, someone you can compare ideas and challenges with.
As you grow in your leadership role, there will be those who look to you for advice, possibly someone you are mentoring. A good leader doesn’t look to get something out of every personal encounter.
Sometimes it’s important and valuable to be a servant leader.
These interactions and opportunities can keep you relevant, while collaborating with others makes you more impactful.
As a leader, when you’re building a team, it’s best to structure it so the team members fit together well, so their efforts can fuse and flow. The best performance comes when team members have the opportunity to take ownership in the projects they work on.
Once the strengths of each individual are identified, you can structure a powerful team that works together, thinks together and reasons together. A strong team can have transparent discussions, including suggestions for solutions rather than mere complaints. Strong teams can blend together old- school with new ways of working together.
Again, a team scenario sometimes requires humility on the part of every individual because it makes the entire team stronger. Players can win games, but it takes a team to win a championship.
On your journey toward your goals, in order to avoid getting delayed, distracted or defeated, there are times when it’s best to say no. You can decide when that’s appropriate once you decide what’s important to you now. That decision helps you establish boundaries around what you should and should not be doing – to stay focused. Focus enables you to be true to yourself and honest with yourself.
Focus is the key to achieving goals by paying attention to your desired outcome. One helpful practice is to have tangible reminders – for example a written list or a picture – something you can look at that
reminds you what you’re working toward. As you achieve milestones toward achievement of your goals, remember to celebrate them.
Once you’ve achieved what you’ve been working toward, give back to others and help them on their journey. A sign of quality leadership is sharing your experience with others. Listen to episode 84 of Bridging the Gap podcast to hear Dr. Charles Redd‘s thoughts around developing leadership traits while change swirls around us.
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