How To Create A Leadership Growth Plan: Lesson #1

Growth is not an automatic process. We don’t get better without intentional effort. This new year could be a game changer for your career and impact if you choose to develop yourself like never before. This could be the year your future self thanks you for the rest of your life. So, what are you going to do to improve your skills as a leader? What will you do to go to a new level in your abilities this year?

Here is the first lesson:

Lesson #1: Break Down Your Learning Into Growth Categories

Do you remember the old school choose your own adventure books when you were younger? I loved these books because you got to control the story. It was such an interactive way of engaging the reader to feel like you were really in the story deciding your fate. Growth is much like a choose-your-own-adventure book. You get the power to determine the fate of your future self. You can invest in your success, depending on how much you put into it. What you output in life is a direct result of what you input. So get ready to choose your own adventure.

You can’t learn what you need to know until you know what you need to learn. So first, you need to choose categories of specific areas you want to grow in this year. These topics will guide you as you select the books, articles, podcasts, etc… you need to surround yourself with. For example, I have five categories that help me choose all my resources for my growth plan:

Faith
Psychology
Leadership
Business
Innovation

Each month I pick five book resources that I will learn and study that correspond with each category. So by the end of the month, I have read five books that are helping me develop in these areas I have determined of most importance to me. Now that is my plan, but you need to choose the specific categories you want to study and develop. Mine are general topics because of how I do my plan, but yours may be more specific such as communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving, etc… Whatever you do, make sure you pick some intentional skills you want to get great at.

Here are the books I am reading this month: