Summary: There’s an old saying that goes “If you’re not learning, you’re dying”. Other adages mention change, growth, and the need for consistent adaptation. Yet, while the mantras may make logical sense, many of us persist in circling a state of stagnation. We can’t find the time to improve yet sneak in moments to make our complaints heard about how nothing ever changes. If you’re making that claim to others, then leadership first must start with you and doing what it takes to consistently improve, or at least beat burnout, from the way we’ve always done it. Take Baby Steps When I facilitate a CORE Profile® assessment for a coaching or training client, what often comes up is homework that sounds like “Take time for yourself”. Fluffy as that might sound, it shows up on a LOT of leader profiles and high performing people often think this means you need a week off. Malarkey! Time for you to grow, recharge, or reenergize could be as simple as a five minute walk to the coffee shop and back or a new way home from work that passes your favorite lake. Baby steps work just as well, and usually better, than trying to eat the elephant all at once and then giving up. Read More Leaders who’ve been where you are right now have recorded their experiences in an abundance of books. Find an author or topic and read what they learned. Experience is gained from your own efforts. Wisdom is learned from the efforts of others. Read more wisdom and stop taking the time to reinvent the wheel. Make the Time Yah, I know. None of us have all the time to do what we say is important: like diet, exercise, and growth. However, as I saw on Facebook (the source of all wisdom, don’t ya know!) not long ago, “We make time for what’ important to us”. It’s that simple. If you find you have the time to tell someone or several someone’s all about how something isn’t working, then you have time to make a change and fix it over time. When it becomes important enough to make the change you’ll find you no longer have time to complain because you’ll be working on a solution. Or said differently, when the pain of staying the same is worse than the perceived pain of changing, you’ll do something about it. I'm Monica Wofford, and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great Monday, an even better week and of course, stay contagious!
