Learning > Change
This is a formula for success.
Your ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, the rate at which you adopt and expand your skills as leader, needs to exceed the rate at which your environment ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ด.
If not, you’ll fall behind and others will pass you by.
Has your learning kept up? Are you consistently making time for personal and professional development?
Prioritizing your full inbox, however inevitable and important it might feel, is short-term thinking. And it will never get empty.
As leaders, we face bigger expectations, more complex challenges, and higher stakes.
So how do you ensure your growth stays ahead of the curve? Here are three steps:
1๏ธโฃ Reflect Regularly
Block out time each week to review whatโs working, whatโs not, and what you can learn from it all.
2๏ธโฃ Seek Feedback
Blind spots grow in the dark. Ask for candid input oftenโdonโt wait for formal reviews.
๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด: 95% ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง-๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ 10-15% ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ.
3๏ธโฃ Invest in Yourself
Read, take courses, or get help. Your development isnโt a โnice-to-haveโ but a โmust-have.โ
Change is inevitable. Falling behind doesnโt have to be.
How has your learning kept pace with your changing role over the past year?
How to Have Real Conversations & Connect With People
Person A: “I, I, I, me, me, me.”
Person B: “Fascinating! Because I, I, I, me, me, me.”
Person A: “That’s so true, reminds me of… I, I, I, me, me, me.”
This is how most ‘conversations’ go: two people taking turns talking about themselves.
Itโs not surprising. Weโre wired to think about ourselves most of the time.
But when all we do is talk about ourselves, we miss out on something important.
We donโt learn anything new.
We donโt grow.
We donโt build real connections.
๐ก ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐. ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐.
Person C makes conversations meaningful.
If someone brings up a topic, they ask questions like:
“What does that mean to you?”
“How did you get into that?”
“What do you like most about it?”
Person C doesnโt just talkโthey listen and learn.
This doesnโt mean you should never talk about yourself. Conversations are a two-way street. But when you go into a conversation with curiosity and a desire to learn, amazing things happen:
๐ You learn new things.
๐ You see the world in new ways.
โค๏ธ You build stronger relationships.
๐ค People feel heard and valued.
Next time youโre in a conversation, pause and ask yourself:
๐๐บ ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ?
This small change can make a big difference.
As a Leader, Do You Always Need to Have the Answer?
Youโre not a search engine.
But as a new leader, it can feel like you have to be one.
Your team asks questions. Pings you on Teams. Calls. Emails. And the instinct? Respond. Immediately. Every single time.
The problem? Constant interruptions chip away at your ability to focus, and focus is what you need most as a leader.
Itโs what allows you to steer the ship, plan strategically, and make thoughtful decisions for your teamโs success.
When you spend your days responding to every ping and notification, you lose the time and energy for the deep thinking that drives real progress.
What can you do?
โข ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐: Set a daily hour of uninterrupted focus for you and your team.
โข ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Encourage your team to solve what they can without you, building their confidence along the way.
โข ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ: Leadership is about guiding the team toward long-term success, not managing every moment.
Start protecting your focus.
Itโs the key to being the leader your team needs.