3 Keys to Leadership Growth

Sixteen years have passed now since I made the decision to leave my position as president and publisher at the Calgary Herald to open a new chapter helping others become better more effective leaders. Leadership has always been a personal passion so I suppose leaving to pass on hard won experience has been a natural next step.

Over those years I’ve run hundreds of workshops and had the privilege of working with thousands of men and women at all stages of leadership. I’ve watched some grow into skilled caring leaders. Too often, I’ve watched many grow very little at all. So what’s the difference between the two groups? I think much of it comes down to humility, information and application.

Humility

Far too many people, often senior leaders, have just too much pride to admit there may still be something more to be learned about leadership – that there’s still room for improvement. I suspect many see this kind of humility as weakness, an example of fallibility, but it is of course a marker of real strength. This said, the pride problem isn’t restricted to senior leaders, its a hurdle we all have to overcome if we’re to be teachable.

Years ago, I did a series of workshops across the country for a large client looking to bring about culture change in part through leadership development. The CEO of that organization attended every workshop personally, even those we were repeating in different locations. He opened each session with a sincere declaration that the work was important and that he continued to learn something new in each session. He set a powerful example for everyone in those rooms. Regrettably, his example has turned out to be something fairly rare. Michael, himself a former mentor and very accomplished leader, exhibited the kind of humility and teachability that no doubt made him the exceptional leader he was. Attitude (and humility is squarely in this category) is the first step to real leadership growth.

Information and Application

A few years ago, I heard a speaker offer the following advice: Information alone never leads to transformation. It is information and application that leads to transformation. In the years since, I’ve offered this encouragement at the beginning of each workshop. I can and do provide information but the application rests with those who attend. And it’s in application that growth takes place and powerful new habits are formed. 

Information

Workshops and courses are one form of information, so are books. I have an extensive leadership library assembled over the years. Those who attend my workshops will hear me cite some of the sources that have inspired my approach. As I sought to fuel my own leadership growth I was always looking for good leadership thinking, to learn from others who had a track record, who had gone before me. I still read regularly.

When I’m talking with someone about leadership I often ask what they are reading, or what they have read. The answers are always telling. There’s no way around it, if you’re going to grow as a leader you’ve got to find a way to feed that growth with new information. 

Application:

The catalyst, that which gives information traction is application. Learning experts tell us we learn largely by two connected mechanisms: active experimentation and reflective observation. In other words, we apply what we’ve learned and then reflect on the experience, learning more about what works, what doesn’t and how best to improve the way we apply we have learned.

Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of men and women who at least said they aspired to be good leaders, many have stalled rather than grown the way I thought they could have. So my closing encouragement is this: leadership growth doesn’t just happen. It’s like any other growth, it takes a determined effort. Humility, information and application are essential keys to success.

A workshop, individual coaching, a keynote, or. copy of my book, The Heart and Hands of Leadership: The Twelve Timeless Practices of Effective Leaders might be just the information your team needs to take leadership to a whole new level.