Fellow Leaders: Development is for YOU, too!

I was recently having a discussion with a colleague I truly respect about Individual Development Plans and their usefulness in career planning and growth. As we ended the conversation, I realized that the context of the discussion was mostly around individual contributors and leaders like him (and me) who truly believe in the power of growth and development over a lifetime. However, in my experience, leaders like us are few and far between.

The greatest leaders believe that learning and change leading to personal growth are necessary for sustained success in life, increased business opportunities, and personal satisfaction.

We do not have to look far to find examples of great leaders: Brene’ Brown, Oprah, Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Alan Mulally, Howard Schultz, Melinda & Bill Gates, Jesse Cole, and the list goes on.....

Humble, strong and inspiring leaders create:

• Businesses thriving on efficiency, higher profit margins, and a solid future

• Workplaces full of “burstiness”, satisfied and engaged employees, transparency and industry-leading innovation

• More humble, strong and inspiring leaders

So ..... why is it that in the average workplace, as leaders gain bigger titles, discussion of development disappears?

Fellow leaders, if you have forgotten that you, too, must continue to develop, here is what your employees and colleagues might be saying about you:

• “I haven’t received my annual performance review yet, and it is May”

• ”In my annual performance review, my boss told me something I had no idea he was upset about 8 months ago, and his story was innacurate - I never had a chance to defend myself”

• ”I would tell my boss about this, but he doesn’t have time/patience for me”

• ”My boss doesn’t like anyone to disagree with him, so we all work around him to get the job done”

• ”My fellow director/VP/SVP doesn’t even bother to respond to emails or meeting invites”

• “He never bothers to coordinate with the rest of us”

• ”He doesn’t care about the amount of additional churn he causes for us”

These comments are signs of individuals who have forgotten how to have critical conversations. They are signs of leaders who have forgotten that people (employees and colleagues) come before anything else - before customers, before meetings, before personal comfort by avoiding difficult conversations. Employees who work with and for these types of leaders lose respect, trust, and concern for them; productivity and commitment plummets.

But, there is hope - and that comes with a focus on personal development!

Fellow leaders, I encourage you to take an honest measure of yourself and consider that it may be time to hold yourself accountable to growth and change - no matter what your title is or how many years of experience you may have. Executive coaching, 360 surveys, and face-to-face conversations around areas you could improve, coupled with follow-through and noticeable change will make you a better leader and generate higher commitment and trust from those around you. Your employees will thank you, your colleagues will thank you, and I promise you will be more satisfied and successful as a result.