There’s always that misinterpretation of leaders as dictators, where in reality a good leader is just as dedicated to a craft as the rest of their group. Leaders commit themselves to lifelong learning – an ongoing and self-motivated pursuit for knowledge and improvement, whether for personal or professional reasons.
It sounds easy enough, right? Here are seven habits to keep in mind as you try to pursue growth as a leader dedicated to lifelong learning:
1. Read. Make it a daily habit, if possible. It doesn’t matter if you read books or blogs, newspapers or magazines, simple articles or everything from cover to cover. It’s ideal to read about leadership traits and other business-related things, but it’s not a bad idea either to read about your hobbies and interests.
2. Write. It’s okay to write in a journal or private blog, but if you can then try to write publicly. This is a great way to articulate and share what you have been learning. In fact, it may possibly inspire others to follow your lead!
3. Create and maintain peer relations. You will always benefit from sharing thoughts and ideas with like-minded people. No one can mature on their own, so have a simple lunch with friends and coworkers in similar positions. Throw ideas around, and benefit from each others’ knowledge.
4. Do personal coaching. It is just as important to share with peers as it is to share with those who look up to you. If time and opportunity allows, do it as personal as possible, such as one-on-one coaching. If not, try to hold a meeting regularly where your team can interact with you in a manner that’s not intimidating for them.
5. Get a mentor (or mentors). In the same way, you will also need at least one other person to guide you, a leader that will teach you to grow and develop in ways you cannot do on your own, and you stay humble as well. You become a great leader when you have someone’s lead you can follow.
It may seem like a lot of hard work at first, but all things worth doing are. If you have a passion for leadership, you will always find time and effort for it. Eventually, these habits become second nature to you and you will have developed a penchant for lifelong learning. This is especially the case if you want to make the best out of your company and lead people into working well and happily.
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