“How do you grow as a leader?”
A friend asked me this question a while back. I shared that being uncomfortable makes you grow the fastest. What does that mean? When you place yourself in situations that are challenging, you discover more about yourself. Whether you succeed or fail, you become a better leader. You’ve taken one more step in your leadership journey. I encourage you to embrace the discomfort. Here are three ways that you can do so.
1) Learn from others outside your field of expertise
You only know what you know. Most people are in a field of business and they learn from experts in that same field. That’s great but you there are experts all around who offer great wisdom that can help you. You can learn from experts in business, management, science, technology, psychology and much more. You have access to great world class leaders through podcasts, blogs and videos online. I recommend finding one expert in a field that is different from yours. It may be a field that interests you. Find that person and learn from them at least once a week through a podcast, blog or video. What you learn will help you in your current situation too.
2) Hang with different types of leaders
They say that you are what you eat. And they say that you are who you hang around especially as a leader. Most likely, you hang around and learn from people that are like you. That’s not a bad thing but it can make you think and act in a certain type of way. What would it look like to hang around and learn from leaders that are different from you. You may not agree with them in all aspects but they can teach you and stretch your leadership.
3) Do side projects with them
When you find leaders that you like and want to learn from, do side projects with them. This is your way to apply what you are learning and create something. When you build something, you learn more about yourself as a leader. You push yourself and do it in the context of relationships. This helps you learn a different style and they may bring out something in you that you didn’t know. Working with others will also inspire something in you and help you be the best type of leader.
Which step will you take this week?
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