October has always been a meaningful month for me. It’s my birthday month, and the beginning of a new season (even if fall in Arizona looks a lot like most places’ summers), and it’s a time when I naturally find myself reflecting.
Another trip around the sun. Dang, every year I think to myself how these years are flying by far too fast. And blink…here we are again, one more candle on the cake.
Birthdays have a way of making me think about where I’ve been, where I am, and perhaps most importantly…who I’m becoming.
And to me, it doesn’t stop there. I believe leadership deserves that same reflection.
We spend so much time as leaders focused on what we’re doing, yet we don’t stop enough and ask ourselves the more important questions…
What are we accomplishing?
What problems are we solving?
What dreams are we chasing?
And…what’s next?
And perhaps an even better question is:
Who am I becoming as I do all of it?
Experience alone doesn’t necessarily make us better leaders. Time and again I see people promoted into leadership roles due to their tenure, not their talent or experience leading people. Time doesn’t automatically make us wiser. I believe growth happens when we’re willing to reflect, learn, stretch ourselves, and consciously improve.
And perhaps even more importantly, great leaders are focused on creating an environment where the people around them can do the same. They make growth available, and they cultivate it through their conversations, AND their actions.
As we head into the final few months of the year, this is a wonderful time to take inventory…not just of the goals U set in January, but of the leader you’ve become along the way.
Ask yourself:
How have I grown this year?
Where have I gotten a little too comfortable?
What have my challenges taught me?
And who do I want to become NEXT?
Leadership isn’t a destination where we finally “arrive”. Leadership is an ongoing process of becoming. And we can either evolve or repeat. (I, for one, prefer evolution… 😉)
So this October, as I celebrate another trip around the sun, I’m reminding myself of one of the principles I’ve carried with me for years:
Always keep growing.
Not just older.
Not just busier.
Not just more experience.
Keep growing…better.
Cheers to U and your next season of becoming.
With love & gratitude,
Jodi