Have you ever visited a stagnant pond? If you have, you know what happens when something becomes stagnant.
Stagnant ponds face the following problems:
- Low oxygen levels for aquatic life
- Fish die off
- Extreme stench
- Breeding grounds for things you don’t want in the pond
When I think about those things, the same thing happens when a leader and their people become stagnant in an organization. When a leader stops improving, the following happens:
- The lifeblood of an organization is drained
- Good people leave
- A toxic work environment is created
- Bad employees stick around with destructive behaviors
Ouch!
Who wants that in their organization? I doubt you’re raising your hand right now.
That’s why leaders must find ways to continue to improve. You’re in luck, I’ve got 6 ways you can continue to improve yourself and your organization.
Photo by Ramy Mamdouh on Unsplash
How To Keep Improving
Read good material:
Books are a great way to continue improving. You’re able to read the experiences of others who have had trials and tribulations. One of the reasons they wrote their book is so that others won’t have to experience the same issues.
When you read good books, you gain wisdom from the ages. You don’t want to miss out on that.
You might even want to pick up my book.
Rub shoulders with good people:
I’ve found one of the ways to improve myself is to rub shoulders with good people. I think of my friend Rich Lohman. He’s always doing something new and exciting. He’s constantly evolving his organization.
When I talk with Rich, he inspires me. It’s like the Bible says: Iron sharpens iron.
By rubbing shoulders with good people, you’re sharpening yourself. You’re also sharpening and improving them.
Attend conferences/workshops/trainings:
There are plenty of great conferences you can attend. Many of these are led by industry professionals who have been there and done that. They’re on stage, sharing their experiences to help you grow.
Find a conference that matches you’re industry and where you need to grow. Go, attend, and reflect back on what you witnessed.
You’re going to find yourself thinking through a lot of scenarios that you never knew about. This will help you improve your thinking and how you deal with future situations.
There are also great solutions like MasterClass which offers subscribers access to classes that will help you develop career and leadership skills, improve your lifestyle, and become healthier.
Try new things:
I love trying new things. It gives me an opportunity to test and stretch myself with things that I might enjoy.
In doing new things, I find out what I can really do. What I really enjoy. What I want to do in the future.
When you try new things, you’ll discover the same. You might find a new passion, a new way of thinking about a situation, or something you want to avoid in the future.
All are positives.
Fail more often:
If you try new things, you’re going to fail. That’s okay. You want to fail.
Why?
Failure teaches us what works and what doesn’t.
The more you fail, the more you can tweak your actions. The more you tweak your actions, the closer you get to something that works. Keep tweaking (not twerking) until you get it right.
Failure isn’t fatal.
Watch great movies:
I’m a firm believer that movies and television shows are our modern-day fables and parables. When we watch a movie, we gain a better understanding of the decisions others make and how we would make those decisions in our own world.
Watch a great film. There’s plenty to choose from. From Star Wars to Baby Driver to IT… you’re going to find something that stretches your imagination and leadership skills.
The more you watch with an eye toward leadership, the more you’re going to grow from our modern-day fables.
