3 ways to know you're a growing leader
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You don't have to guess whether you're growing as a leader. You can take a simple test to know for sure.
Imagine if you could somehow really tell if all the leadership books you are reading and the seminars you are attending are paying off.
Without a reliable set of indicators to gauge the impact of your development plan, you could be spinning your wheels. On the other hand, when you can recognize the indicators of progress, it can give you tremendous personal momentum.
So, how do you do it? How do you know if you are actually growing as a leader?
Here are three indicators to look for…
1. You are attracting higher capacity leaders into your orbit.
John Maxwell has rightly pointed out that if you are a "6" or a "7" as a leader, you will never attract "8's" and "9's". You will only be able to lead "4's" and "5's".
But if you are actually growing as a leader, one of the first indicators will be that those high capacity leaders will begin to be drawn to you.
2. Your opinion is not only being heard, it is being sought out.
Watch what happens around a discussion table when it's time for a key decision to be made.
Long before there's a show of hands, long before the vote is taken, the discussion leader will say something like, "So, what do the rest of you think?"
At that moment, watch which way everyone's head turns.
If you are growing in your leadership, then increasingly those heads will turn towards you.
3. There are increasing numbers of leaders in your circle.
This is not a function of leadership attraction, as much as it is a function of leadership production.
Because growing leaders produce growing leaders.
If you are indeed growing in your leadership then you should see evidence of a growing number of leaders emerging whom you are building into.
So, over time, watch for these unmistakable indicators to become increasingly evident in your life.
They'll be signaling that your leadership development efforts are paying off.
 | Scott Cochrane serves on the executive team for the Willow Creek Association, as Vice President, International Ministries. He was born and raised in Canada, where he became connected to the Willow Creek Association, first as a marketing director and later as the ministry’s Chief Operating Officer. Following a five-year stint as Executive Pastor of a large church, Scott returned to Willow Creek Canada in 2009 as Executive Director, and in 2012 relocated to Illinois to take up his current post with the Willow Creek Association. Learn More » |
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