Why Most Leaders Never Grow (And The Simple Practice That Changes Everything)

It’s a common affliction of today’s work environment for leaders to jump from one urgency to the next, rarely pausing to process what they’ve learned along the way. Unfortunately, this is far more problematic than most might realize.

As I’ve observed through my work with executives across various industries, the most effective leaders are not necessarily the ones with the most experience, but the ones who make effort to learn from their experiences.

To put this in concrete terms, think of leadership development as a garden. Just creating a garden is not enough to guarantee plants will grow – it requires intentional care and attention.

Similarly, when it comes to mastering leadership, you need to be intentional with transforming your day-to-day experiences into fuel for your leadership development.

And there’s a powerful tool every leader can tap into to accomplish this – mindful reflection.

As I’ve shared in some of my keynotes, what’s critical is taking a structured approach.

First, you need to schedule reflection time in your calendar – either as a daily or weekly practice. Respect this scheduled block as you would an important client meeting.

Next, use this time to reflect on what happened and why, what surprised you, and what you could do differently next time.

Finally, create a plan to apply these new insights. Aim to create incremental, consistent steps that will help you grow your leadership skills.

Remember, leadership is not a destination, but a journey of exploration that helps us transform into better versions of who we need to be.

Mindful reflection is a powerful tool that will help you to achieve that.