Getting Better

Are you a leader?  Do you see your job as developing others?  Do you use words such as growth minded, invest in, develop, lead, teamwork, etc?

If you answered "YES" to the above then you should be applying these ideals daily AND you should be getting better at them daily.

I once worked with individuals and have known others who religiously taught leadership, so much so that they neglected to apply the same principles to themselves.  It is an easy trap to fall into.  Leaders should never talk so much that they don't walk.

In his book The 7 Levels of Change Rolf Smith writes "to get better results, you have to do things better."  Oftentimes as leaders, we get so hung up on the better results that we forget to "doing" part. 

Statistics show that it takes 10,000 hours of "doing" to become an expert at something.  That's A LOT of hours.  Think about the best professional athletes out there.  What do they do after the golf round, track meet, or football game?  They practice!  How serious are you about practice, leader?

How does a leader practice?  Reading.  We all knew that was the answer, because we're really good at having the answer.  What we're not all really good at is the "doing" or the action part. 

If you're not reading, you're not growing.  If YOU are not growing, you're definitely not growing others.  When you reach the top, the leadership role---when you're the captain of your organization--you're expected to be the expert (remember---10,000 hours = expert).

Back to Smith's book.  How are you doing things better?  Where are you carving out time to get better at becoming a better "doer".  I bet you can find 15 hours in a week to invest in becoming an expert. 

The question is, are you willing to be a better leader?