The Law of Process: It’s about the GROWTH

In this 21 part series, based on John Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I’m taking you on a journey towards better leadership. I share with you my own leadership lessons and insights. As a John Maxwell Team Member I’ll be happy to deliver transformational leadership training for your team or organization. See the details below.

Part 3 of 21: The Law of Process

The Law of Process: Leadership develops daily, not in a day. ~ John C. Maxwell

Becoming a great leader requires more than reading a book on leadership or stepping into a management position. Leadership requires personal growth. Lifetime growth! The first step to becoming a great leader is to be intentional. Intentional about your time, priorities, tasks, relationships, attitude, vision, influence and much more. What you do, day in and day out, will determine who you become.

Your focus needs to be on becoming better today than you were yesterday. If you don’t grow as a person today, you won’t be able to lead tomorrow.

John Maxwell recognizes 5 stages of leadership growth:

Phase 1: I don’t know what I don’t know

Many people fail to recognize the opportunities coming their way simply because they don’t grow. Only a few think of themselves as leaders. They fail to realize that leadership is influence and we all influence someone. It’s quite simple… ‘As long as a person doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, he isn’t going to grow.‘ ~ John C. Maxwell

Phase 2: I know that I need to know

Some of us take on positions where we are required to lead, only to discover that we are unable to fulfil the expectations. It happened to me when I was at university. I found myself in groups where I stepped up to lead, just to find out that I lack problem solving skills and can’t motivate others to take action. When your efforts fail to deliver, you have two options. You can give up and go back to phase 1 or you can decide to step up your game, learn, improve yourself and your results.

Phase 3: I know what I don’t know

I was quite young when I picked up my first leadership book. I wholeheartedly agreed with all that was in the book and I could see what people around me were lacking. I started to talk to others about leadership, character, integrity and more. Until one day I came to the realization that it’s wonderful to teach others, but it won’t make a difference in my life until I apply it myself. Yes, others need leadership. But you do too! Without improvement, you will always be stuck on the same level. Remember the first law? Your leadership level will be a lid on your effectiveness and performance, keeping you stuck no matter how hard you work.

Phase 4: I know and grow and it starts to show

There’s something you need to know about leadership. It’s not an overnight magic. It takes more than one book or one training to become a great leader. Leadership is not a sprint. You will not become a great leader in 50 minutes. It’s a life-long journey. You learn, implement, fail, and get back up. Rinse and repeat. One day down the road you will turn back and realize how far you’ve come. But stay focused on the goal. Your goal is personal growth. Getting better every day. No excuses.

Phase 5: I simply go because of what I know

Phase 4 is about you being intentional and growth focused. Phase 5 is when your growth becomes almost automatic. You’ve developed your habits, sharpened your instincts and they’re taking you to new places. Each of us can get there, but it takes work and comes at a cost.

You can’t improve your leadership by thinking about it. The only way to improve (in any area) is to take action! Becoming a great leader is a process. It requires growth with intention. What can you do today to improve your leadership? What do you need to learn, change, or act on? Choose today to kick start your self-improvement – and do it day in and day out.

This article is part of a 21-part leadership series.

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To your success,

PS: To gain even more insights into leadership, get a complimentary access to my Leadership Breakthrough eCourse below.