Learning is the one way to stay young. Every time we learn something new, we grow, mature, and keep our minds healthy.
If we stop, we stop growing.
We’ve all heard of the conventional ways to continue to grow and learn. You might have heard that you need to attend conferences in your industry, read blogs, listen to podcasts, or continue your education through higher education.
Those means are all well and dandy. They work; they truly do.
But you’re unique. You’re different. You’re looking for something interesting ways to continue learning.
That’s why I wrote this article. I want to help you continue to learn in unique and different ways. These ways will help you become the leader you were born to be.
Get Creative: Unique Ways Leaders Continue To Grow
Seek out diverse perspectives:
We typically close ourselves off from new ideas unintentionally. We’ll look to the same business leaders we have always looked to. We surround ourselves with like-minded people. We even eliminate the people in our lives who no longer serve us.
But what if we’re wrong? What if we’re hindering our ability to grow and learn by limiting the people we’re around?
Diverse perspectives create diverse ideas. They stimulate our minds and make us think of new ideas.
Look for people with differing and diverse perspectives. Seek to understand these people. Ask why they think the way they do.
Their answers may open you up to new ideas and ways of thinking you’ve never thought of before.
Volunteer in a different industry:
When we stick to one industry, we focus on how things have always been done. I have seen this in churches, Toastmasters groups, and the business world.
We see what’s always been done and believe it’s how it always will be done. This is stuck thinking.
Look for opportunities to volunteer in an industry completely different from yours. For a manufacturing executive, you might look at volunteering for an organization in the food industry. For a person in the church, look at volunteering at a school or a retail business.
These experiences will shake you. You’ll discover your way of thinking has been holding you back. You’ll also get to meet and interact with people you’re not used to.
This brings us back to the first thing to do: seek our diverse perspectives.
By interacting in a different industry, you see how leaders get things done in an other way. Don’t dismiss the power of getting out of your comfort zone, trying out a new business, and applying the lessons learned to your organization.
Learn a new language:
If you’re in the United States, English is the primary language spoken. However, there are plenty of other languages that could be spoken.
I think of the small city I grew up in. We had Spanish, Hmong Daw, Italian, and more speakers.
Imagine being able to understand their language. Imagine how thinking in a different language can impact the way you see the world!
When you begin to learn a new language, new neural pathways open. You begin to understand and see the world in a new way.
Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. Learn a new language.
Read a fiction book:
Most of us love an outstanding nonfiction, business-related book. We’ve been taught that we grow by reading more books about our industries or something uplifting.
I want to challenge that idea. I want to ask you to pick up fiction books and add them to your learning library.
Fiction books are a great way to learn more about the world around us. They open our eyes, much like movies, to how the world is.
They also help us to improve our empathy toward one another. Because of the intense emotions, compelling storylines, and ideas presented, we grow our empathy toward those who are different.
Don’t Stop Growing
There’s a Journey song that says Don’t stop believing. I want to twist their lyrics and say Don’t stop growing.
Leaders who stagnate don’t stay leaders for long. You have to be willing to stretch yourself and grow.
I know you’re already interested in growing and learning because you’re reading this blog. But I want you to stretch yourself even further.
Challenge yourself to grow in unique ways. Use the methods I mentioned above or come up with some of your own.
Whatever you do, don’t stop growing.
