Development of our people is critical to growth and success. We encourage others to develop their skills so that we can stay ahead of the curve and be our very best. But how do we develop ourselves as managers? Have we suddenly lost the motivation to learn how to be our best selves? Or maybe we have reached our pinnacle are feel we no longer need to develop.
Management can be difficult, especially when managing our own time. How can managers and leaders balance their time to address this very basic yet critical need?
** Commit to be a life-long learner, if you do not model the very thing you expect of your team, you lose credibility. If you learn, they will learn too. After all, everyone can benefit from improving performance, especially if you do it together. Gain knowledge and employee confidence, it’s a win-win!
** Schedule your development the same way you would a meeting. Commit to at least one or two development events that are outside of your organization annually. Learning from peers outside of your organization will help you to stay competitive and fresh!
**Ask your people how you can improve. This type of “micro-learning” is quick and efficient, and offers opportunities to improve yourself continuously. How do you people describe you? Ask yourself how you feel about your accomplishments for the week. Select one thing you might want to learn or improve upon, and make a decision about how you plan to develop in that area.
Don’t make the same mistake a lot of leaders are guilty of, and become a complacent boss who lacks the credibility and confidence their people need to be an impactful team. As mentioned before, be the example you expect of your people!