100 Ways To Help Student Leaders Succeed [#10]

Personal Growth

As soon as you stop growing, you start plateauing. If you don’t invest in your own growth and development, you will soon be unable to invest in anyone else’s. Growth is not automatic in your life. You must determine to daily do the things that will put you on the right kind of growth track in order to develop your leadership skills. I have personally found that there are specific ways that I can invest in my personal growth.  You will develop your leadership and life by:

Listening to tapes and CDs that will help you grow.
I listen to tapes and CD's from various leaders and professional speakers while I'm driving.  I'll order tapes from conferences that I can't attend.  I'll download talks from motivational speakers off of the Internet.  What you feed your mind will find it's way out into the way you speak and live your life.

Visiting places that will help you grow.
A few months back I went to a leadership conference with our students in Ohio.  One of the places that we visited on that trip was Mansfield State Prison.  It was the location where they shot the film, The Shawshank Redemption.  When you walk around this facility (which is now closed), you contemplate a lot of questions that are worth asking.  I think most places that resonate with history can teach you some important things.

Attending events that will help you grow.
Conferences are important.  Seminars as well.  While you may not come away with an overwhelming amount of new information, it is important to get in that kind of environment.  One great idea is worth it to me.  Plus, these types of events can affirm or encourage your own growth in the right direction.

Hanging around people that will help you grow.
If I want to grow in a certain direction or certain aspect of character, I will look for someone else who is a lot better at it than I am.  Some people aren't confident enough to be with people who display a greater aptitude than them.  Well, that's an ego issue that a leader needs to get over real quick.  If I want to be a better tennis player, I don't keep playing people that are easy to beat.  I only learn when I have to push myself farther than I have in the past.  There are people out there that help me do that.

Reading books that will help you grow.
I already posted (Weeds & Roses) about the value I find in reading.  Most of my learning and growth comes from good books.  I think the habit and practice of reading also helps one to keep one's mind sharp and open to new information.  Like I've said earlier, I want my world to expand, not diminish.  Books have a way of widening one's perspective.

Hyrum Smith, President of Franklin-Covey said, “Life’s too short to choose any path that ends in regret.” (Priorities Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 4, p9)

Invest your time in those efforts that will move you forward. Otherwise, you’ll have to face the disappointment later on that you hadn’t done the work necessary to reach your fullest potential.

Comments

[timage]

You all are writing great comments. I agree that, in many situations, actions speak louder than words. We can study and read about leadership all year long (and we WILL!), but if we don't put what we learn into practice, then we'll simply have heads full of information. That's not good for anyone.

So let's continue to read, let's continue to act, and let's continue to sharpen one another to be the best we can be.

[Heather Purdy]

Hey guys! I've never done this before...Anyway, one of the sections I wanted to comment on is the one that talks about hanging out with people who will, "...help you grow." I think that it is important as SGA leaders we challenge one another, because through challenges (get ready for this--super deep), we grow! Let's not just be friends this year, let's challenge each other, and know each other well enough to find out where we need to be challenged. I'll stop before I sound like a cheerleader, but in truth, I am excited for our group and can't wait to see everyone!

[Kenton Lee]

I believe that leadership also needs to have excellent examples to follow. And I just want to openly thank Tim for being such a good example of leadership. This is such a cool thing to have this blog to talk about leadership and I appreciate Tim's effort to put this up for our resource. So, thanks again Tim for being an example and making it very possible for us to succeed this year.

[Kenton Lee]

Come on everybody, jump on in! Blogging is fun!

[Kristen Brewer]

I'm kind of along the same lines as Kenton, I think that all of those suggestions such as reading books and attending conferences are fine, but I know that I learn a lot more through experience. This year I want to try new things and to put my efforts into action... not simply thinking and talking about leadership, but acting on it. We can do so much in a year, I'm so excited for it.

[Kenton Lee]

I have never done this before. So in a way, I guess that I am "growing" myself right here. Just kidding. But seriously, I feel that effort is the shovel that digs up the soil of growth. You can do all the right things (i.e. listening to the tapes, reading the books, attending the conferences, hanging with the right people) but if you are not efforting, then you are not successing. And I hope that we can do that this year on SGA. I know that I especially need to focus on not becoming complacent and stale, but really giving things my best effort. We need to put the "umph" into "triumph". And I believe that we will.

[timage]

Great point Nikki. "If you help enough other people get what they want, then you'll get what you want." (Zig Ziglar)

Perhaps #7 could be...Doing things that help others grow will help you grow.

[Nikki Bodenstab]

Invest your time in those efforts that will move you forward. I completely agree Tim, but I also feel that we should invest time into efforts that move others forward. Looking through some of the other things posted on this blog I believe it to be important that one has a sense of purpose as a leader and invests effort into fulfilling that purpose...hopefully the ultimate end is to positively influence and enourage those he or she is leading to move forward with their lives. It can't hurt to lead this by example.