Leaders take control of their personal and professional development in order to continuously grow and maximize their contribution. As a leader do you have a professional development game plan? If you do, here are some good ideas to consider, and if not, here are some ideas to get you started: 1. Read- Commit to reading a sampling of the following: A book about leadership a month. For recommendations on books to start with, see our Top 10 Leadership book recommendations. Downloading the app Good Reads and selecting the “Business” category can help you select some good titles. Once you begin rating
I’m working with a client now where the one of the company’s core values is relationships. The value they place on relationships, with their employees and their customers, leads to a competitive advantage for the company. But I don’t think they do it because it creates a competitive advantage. They do it because it is just the right thing to do. One thing I’ve learned from them is how this value actually plays out in the way that they recognize and reward employees. As an outsider looking in they: Get to know their people as people, not just as workers
Leaders are readers. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to grow as a leader is to read about leadership and take the knowledge gained from your reading and apply it. When asked about the best leadership books out there, here are the ones I recommend. Great leaders lead themselves first. You can’t lead others if you can’t leader yourself through strong personal habits. The best personal leadership book I have found is Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Leaders are influencers. For a timeless classic on influence, read How to Win Friends and Influence People by
We have a bedtime ritual with our four year old: Brush teeth Practice letters/numbers Read a book Say one thing we are thankful for from that day Prayer Although all of them are important for various reasons, number 4 seems to be the one that never gets left out. Sometimes we are all tired and don’t want to practice letters or numbers or read a book. Sometimes we even forget to brush our teeth (maybe that goes back to being too tired) and even pray, but regardless of where we are, what time it is, or how long of a
A friend shared with me the struggles she is having with her pre-schooler’s behavior. Been there, done that. The good thing is, there always seems to be a leadership lesson in the raising of children. In fact, I’ve even written about the leadership lessons learned from our then two year old’s biting bent. My friend said she is dealing with some pretty intense temper tantrums, talking back, lashing out, and yes, she even is throwing things. After asking my friend about why the issues seem to be arising, and they seem to be happening at school more and more often,