I have a friend who has an offbeat saying for every
occasion. The title of this piece is one saying that she shared frequently
with me. Her point is that the process of learning and
developing Is a never ending journey. I can testify to the fact that
playing a part in someone else’s success strategy by helping them to be both
better and different is incredibly rewarding.
As coach leaders, I believe that it’s our responsibility
to care enough about others around us at work to engage with them in the growth
process. And by others, I mean our direct reports, our peers, our teammates
and even our boss! Through a collaborative and supportive relationship with us,
someone may find their courage and dare to reach to the next level of their
potential. And that’s a Wow for all involved! Notice that I said –
collaborative and supportive relationship! We need to check in on our intention
during this work to be sure that it’s pure. This isn’t about us being
manipulative even subtly; for example, to get someone to do what we want them
to do because that meets our needs or agenda.
Professional growth typically involves several core
elements. I’ll briefly introduce each here and we’ll do a deeper dive on and a
leadership dare for several of them throughout the month. As you consider each
of these, reflect at two levels – think about your own development and then
think about assisting others with their development work.
Risk
– Growth
isn’t about playing small or playing it safe. The performance challenge here is
to move beyond our current limitations. Pretty exciting stuff and pretty scary
too. It’s often not enough to settle for modest progress these days. Playing
small isn’t serving our organizations.
Expansion
– Professional
growth involves expansion in some way or another. Moving to the next level;
doing more of something; breaking with and breaking through habits.
Visioning
– When
it comes to people growing, we have to have a destination in mind – the desired
future. Crafting a vision and a route and then holding it vividly in our mind’s
each day is how top performers in all fields achieve their goals. The Cheshire
Cat in ‘Wonderland’ said it best to Alice: “Alice came to a fork in the road.
'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where do you want to go?' responded the
Cheshire Cat. 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then,' said the Cat, 'it doesn't
matter.”
Stickiness
or Sustainability – Growth is about both internal and external
change. We’ve got to replace current (maladaptive) habits with fresh ones so
that they become a permanent part of who we are and what we do. In other words,
intentionality needs to be woven into all growth work. It’s what gives us
courage to create and then hold onto a bigger picture of ourselves.
By now you might have concluded that truly challenging others
to grow can be a demanding experience. You’re right! But the alternatives,
stagnation; settling for ‘average’ or dysfunctional comfort (or according to my
friend, being done/‘dead’ professionally) simply aren’t acceptable.
Here’s your leadership dare: Demonstrate the power of
growth by growing yourself first. You first!
“At
the boundaries, life blossoms” -James
Gleick
