In my experience,
the people who make a difference, the people who are engaging leaders are people who ask a lot of thought
provoking questions. These questions get people thinking and cause
people to grow. So what sort of questions am I talking about? They are
questions that go to the heart of what it means to be an engaging leader.
I challenge you to
answer these questions in terms of what you have done this year and what you
intend to do next year. You might like to give yourself a rating out of 5 . . .
1 being poor through to 5 being excellent to see where you have excelled and
where you need more work. Hopefully by the end of the process you will have a
few ideas on how you can increase your ability to engage not only yourself but
also the people around you regardless of your position.
1. How am I
growing?
This question is
designed to get you thinking about your growth in the two key areas of
Professional development and Personal development. What seminars, workshops and
conferences you have attended; what books or journals you have read; what
coaching or mentoring you have received; what projects or committees you have
been involved in; what experiences have you had. It is the first question
because it is the foundation for the rest, the root system that allows you to
grow further.
2. How am I helping
my team to grow?
Perhaps some of
your personal growth has occurred as a result of helping other people to grow.
Remember the famous phrase “you don’t really know something until you have to
teach it to someone else”. This could be via formal or informal mentoring,
coaching or training. It could be by acting as a role model for others to
follow or it could simply be putting in place the conditions, and removing the
barriers, that allow your team to grow naturally.
3. How am I helping
my organisation to grow?
You need to think
beyond your immediate team because one highly engaged team within an otherwise
disengaged organisation is not going to stay engaged for very long. What is
your involvement in the various committees in your workplace? Are you someone
who makes suggestions and looks for ways to innovate? Do you get actively
involved in change programs? How are you assisting the organisation to attract
and retain good people, even outside your area of specialty? What relationships
do you have with suppliers, competitors and others that might assist your
organisation to grow?
4. How am I helping
my industry to grow?
If you are
passionate about your industry then you will want to see it prosper. Remember
that the more jobs there are available in your industry, the more career
options you have so playing your part in maintaining a healthy industry is in
your own best interests. A good place to start is by being actively involved in
the relevant industry associations that represent you or as a media commentator
in your field.
5. How am I helping
my occupation to grow?
Even broader than
industry involvement is the desire of an engaged leader to see their occupation
grow and develop. This could mean getting involved in the relevant specialist
professional association or a more general association such as the Australian
Institute of Management. It could also mean offering to help young people
entering the occupation via teaching at University or TAFE or by offering work
experience to school students considering the occupation for their own career.
Karen Schmidt
from Let’s Grow! describes herself as a workplace gardener who helps
organisations grow the next crop of engaging leaders. To learn more about her
Budding Leaders program visit www.letsgrow.com.au. To book her to speak at your
next event visit www.karenschmidt.com.au.
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