If you really want to become a leader in your space, having the capacity of raising, building, and nurturing men and women of capacity under you, then pay attention to this.
What makes you a leader is that you’re moving. No one grows and progresses under (or behind) a static leader. You must be in constant motion for you to be a leader that gives room (and space) for others to grow behind them.
And you don’t just grow simply because you’re busy doing work. Being busy doing work is not what makes you grow. You see, at every point in time in your life, there will always be the works that matter and the ones that don’t. Being able to recognize the ones that matter per time and give your utmost attention to them is what helps you record sustainable growth.
You can’t build a system that helps people to grow and thrive under you if you don’t know how to recognize what you should be focusing on per time and what you should leave for others to handle.
One of my regular sayings here is that while skills are built through repetition, the mind only grows on adventure. If you’re always busy doing the same set of things for too long, you’ll keep building technical skills, but your mind won’t grow.
And being a leader isn’t about having technical skills to do the job, but about having a grown mind to lead, give direction, and inspire those who are doing the job.
Just imagine that you’re still stuck doing the work and earning what your mentees and proteges are supposed to be earning under you. You’ve become a ceiling to their growth simply because you’ve refused for your mind to grow.
This is a wake-up call to you if you’re reading this and you’ve been getting the nudge that it’s time to climb higher. What you need to do is start auditing the activities (the kind of work) that are still taking the most of your time. Do an audit.
Note that getting off this hook can come with some fighting. It may mean you’ll lose some relationships. Some people may interpret your hunger for growth as pride. But remember, it’s your future and the future of those behind you who have trusted you with their journey that we’re talking about here. So, while making a choice, stay loyal to the greater cause.
I remain your BrandCore Strategist.
