Your Leadership Personal Development Plan

If you’re the type of leader who is constantly pouring into everyone on your team, you miss developing yourself. Yes, even leaders need a personal development plan.

“As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.” - John C. Maxwell

Do you have a personal development plan for yourself?

Everyone needs a personal development plan. People like to be stretched and growth should be the norm. Personal development is not about being overwhelmed or spending your time feeling underwhelmed, it’s about striking a balance.?

Create a healthy growth process that becomes fun. Growth doesn’t have to be painful. Growth is essential, it creates motivation and momentum. Be strategic about where you will focus your efforts and establish a setting where growth is good.?

Having a personal development plan requires that you’re patient with yourself. Tune in and nurture your needs, respecting your own personal growth journey. Once you’ve decided the path you want to take, consider using an accelerator like a mentor or a coach.

Stop trying to figure everything out in isolation. That leads to negativity, underwhelm, and burnout. Once you’ve selected a coach or mentor, trust them, trust the process, and do the work (yes, you have to put in the effort). Expect setbacks and failures along the way. And when they happen, lean on your coach to guide you through them.

5 areas of personal development and how they translate to your leadership in the workplace…

1. Spiritual. It says in Proverbs 19:21 that the holy spirit is our counselor. John 14:26 says, ‘The Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor — Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.’ One way to develop your spirituality is to read the bible or attend bible study. Let the holy spirit be your guide.
2. Emotional Development. Our emotions are indicative of something deeper. When we understand the ‘why’ behind our emotions, we can thoughtfully address the issue. What’s causing the negative emotions? We can choose to get healthy by not ignoring these feelings, but giving ourselves grace and understanding.
3. Technical Skills. We each have specific specialities and technical skills. While these skills come naturally to us, they still need to be developed. Invest in developing your competencies and zone of genius. Focus on maturing your gifts and talents.
4. Mental Health. Strong leadership requires a strong sense of self awareness. Develop your self awareness to make better decisions. When you’ve invested in your mental health, it helps you stay grounded and consistent. That consistency helps you be better understood. Your team understands your logic, vision, and values, to best support you.
5. Physical Health. This includes exercising, eating right, and getting enough sleep. By investing in your physical health, your memory, digestive system and stress levels improve. We are a luxury item, we are not meant to be run ragged. Take care of yourself so that you can be a more effective and patient leader.

How to kick start your personal development plan:

The first step in kick starting your personal development plan is to make the decision. Making the decision has to come from inside of you, it can’t come from anyone else. If you don’t want the change or aren’t ready for it, then expect to struggle.?

If you want different results, you’ve got to do something different. When you’re committed but need the extra help, pay for a coach or enlist the help of a mentor.

How to stay on track with your personal development plan.

Staying on track with your personal development plan requires being flexible. If things aren’t going as planned, it doesn’t mean that you’re falling short.?

Expect to feel like quitting, the path happens differently for all of us. It could indicate that there’s a different opportunity that you hadn’t considered. If you’ve hired a coach, trust them and apply yourself. You’ve got to do the work!

What’s one way you will work on your personal development to become a stronger leader?