3 of 5 in the series
Continual personal growth makes leaders great
“People only see what they are prepared to see.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many people think that once they feel confident in their leadership position, then they have made it with no additional effort required. That’s the equivalent of finding the end of the internet – no way. Transformational Leadership is about transformation. We begin that transformation with ourselves.
I began my first leadership position when I was 18 years old and nothing but potential, kept that profession for 40 years, and became quite confident in my role. Now, as I coach leaders around the globe, there are many opportunities for insights and personal growth. It’s possible to learn from every experience and from every person you encounter – both what is good practice and what not to do.
Being prepared to learn is the big issue. Setting aside time as a daily discipline helps to grow leadership skills, just as eating and exercising strengthens our body, and study strengthens our mind.
Here’s my daily regimen:
- Daily devotions using the daily lectionary for choices
- Working through reading several books in miscellaneous areas
- Leadership principles
- Business growth strategies
- Inspiration
- Other topics
- Reading articles about new skills or refreshing existing skills
- Harvard Business Review
- American Express OPEN
- Fast Company
- WSJ
- Reading leadership blogs
- Michael Hyatt
- Seth Godin
- John Maxwell
- Leading Ideas
- Patheos
- Reading my personal goals
- Learning from my own success and struggles
- Staying focused and on track
- Defining obstacles and developing a plan to overcome them
- Scheduling daily actions and staying focused
- Recording key thoughts in my journal
- Defining the next blog post’s content
- Developing the topic
- Recording major points as bullet points
- Conducting research as needed
- Creating content
What your routine for feeding your mind?
Hugh Ballou
The Transformational Leadership Strategist
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(c) 2012 Hugh Ballou. All rights reserved.