A leader is someone who not only leads others but leads themselves. One of those areas is in their personal development.
If a leader stops growing, he stops leading. However, a leader who continually grows throughout his career (and life) is a leader worth following.
How do you create an environment for growth? I have 7 tips for you to grow.
7 Ways To Create A Growth Environment
1. Create Opportunities For Growth
A great leader knows there’s always an opportunity to grow. Whether that’s through personal study, interactions with others, or attending conferences or seminars, a leader places themselves in areas where there are opportunities to grow.
Be on the lookout for opportunities to grow. The more you look for them, the more you’ll notice them, the more you’ll grow.
2. Surrounded By Growing Individuals
Individuals who are growing will grow others. These people will challenge everyone around them.
Find others who are growing, challenging themselves, and moving forward. These are the people who will help lift you up. They’ll challenge you to grow yourself.
As John F. Kennedy said: A rising tide lifts all boats.
3. Access To Education
Education comes in many forms. Whether it’s watching the latest big-screen blockbuster movie to see what can be learned, having a learning library in your office, or going to a conference, leaders who want to create a growth environment have to have and/or provide access to education.
You could set up a library of great books you or your team can access anytime. You could also offer free access to LinkedIn Learning. Or you might take your staff with you to the next conference you go to.
Providing access to education will create opportunities to grow.
4. Willingness To Be Stretched
If you want to grow, you must be willing to be stretched. Every time you take in a new piece of information, it will challenge you. You will have to decide whether it aligns with what you know, provides new information, or needs to be disregarded.
The more we’re willing to be stretched, the more we’ll grow. Our stretching opportunities will introduce us to new thoughts, ideas, and ways of doing things.
Don’t be afraid to be stretched.
5. Have An Affirming Environment
An affirming environment is one where criticism and negativity are minimized. Instead, you and those around you lift one another up.
You share positive, valuable words of affirmation. You let those around you (and yourself) know that they are valued, their contributions matter, and progress is being made.
What can you do to provide an affirming environment today?
6. Always Look Forward
We have a tendency to look back on the past. Sometimes, it’s to see the glory days. Do you remember the star football player who has stayed stuck in the past? He constantly reminiscences about the feats accomplished on the field. Today, what’s he doing? He’s a shoe salesman and hates his life. He’s lived his life in the past so much that he hasn’t looked forward to the future.
Don’t be that person. Instead, look to the possibilities of the future. What does the future hold? A lot of good, if you’re looking for it.
Dream big. Think about the things you’re doing and going to do. Create plans.
The more you think about the future, the more you can align your growth actions to achieve it.
7. Fail And Move On
We will fail—that’s a given. I’m not going to glorify failure. I am going to say it is a great tool for learning and growing.
Every time we fail, we have a choice. We can see what we did wrong, adjust our course, and find a better solution. Or we can sit back, whine, and wallow in our failures.
I say we have to choose the first if we want to grow and learn from our failures. Remember what Winston Churchill said: Failure isn’t fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.
Let’s continue on and grow together.
