How Leaders Prioritize Their Own Growth
It's not time management, but YOU management that matters more
The number one mistake of leaders’ growth
What’s the number one mistake leaders make with their own growth?
They cancel it. Over and over again.
Has this happened to you? You set an appointment with yourself in your calendar: to get up and exercise, or read during the day, or take a class, or go home early and rest.
And then, something comes up and you cancel it.
And since there’s always something, you’re always cancelling appointments with yourself. Eventually it catches up to you: You are less satisfied at work. You beat yourself up as not committed enough, not energetic enough, not good enough. And those thoughts, not to mention missed investments in your skills and abilities, begin to impact your performance as a leader.
It’s time to change all of that.
And it has absolutely nothing to do with time management.
Stop Psyching Yourself Out
The number one reason leaders cancel appointments with themselves isn’t time or money or energy.
It’s the mistaken belief that something else is more important.
Their people need them, at that exact moment. That’s more important, right?
Their customers called, at the same time. That’s more important, isn’t it?
There’s something-something on fire, and they have to react. That’s definitely more important, wouldn’t you say?
No.
There I said it: No, all that stuff isn’t more important.
It’s important, certainly. Even time-sensitive. But more important than doing what it takes to be the absolute best leader possible:
Not a chance.
Otherwise, what were you hired to become a leader for?
You Already Know the Answer
Would you ever casually cancel an appointment with a client, or a staff member or other “important person” in your company? Of course you wouldn’t. But do you know why?
It’s not because it’s your job, or your responsibility, or your paycheck. It’s because you would never fail to live up to your commitments to other important people. When you set an appointment, you’re committing to something significant: helping people in some way, providing critical guidance, making their dreams come true.
As a leader, your word is a vital part of your leadership: It lies at the core of your reputation. It supports the trust you share with others. And your commitments drive the results you promised to make for your organization.
If you’d never casually break your word to others — why are you so willing to casually break your word to yourself?
What’s an Appointment For?
A leader’s greatest contribution is themselves.
Your abilities, skills, knowledge, experience, all contribute to unlocking the potential of your followers, from customers to colleagues. And your contribution isn’t static. If you don’t maintain it, it will decline over time: your knowledge alone will be less valuable, let alone your skills and experiences, in our fast-evolving world. Just like your health will, if you cancel your appointments to go home and rest on time, or get up and exercise regularly, or take an hour to recharge, read, and reward yourself during the day.
You aren’t an unlimited resource; and you’re not naturally occurring.
Being a great leader takes the same kinds of investments that you expect your colleagues to make in themselves, and your clients to make in your company. What would you do if an employee kept cancelling their attendance at a training class?
You’d fire them. Why?
Because commitments matter.
That’s what an appointment with yourself really stands for: Committing to making an important investment:
In yourself.
For yourself.
For your followers.
That’s why you keep your self-appointments
And that’s why almost nothing causes you to cancel your scheduled moments of growth.
You see, it’s not about time. Or busyness. It’s about choice.
You can’t manage time: We’ve said that time and time and time again.
But you can manage YOU.
And if you’re still not convinced, think of it this way: Who is going to keep their appointments with you — as a leader — if you don’t keep your commitments to continuously improve yourself? No client will pay for that version of you. No colleague will follow that version of you.
A confident, competent leader is also committed: Not just to their appointments with others. But with their appointments with themselves.
Time to make some importance choices in your schedule, wouldn’t you say?
See you on the next TLC Mastermind call.
— M
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