The Formula for Leadership Growth & Success
Today, we'll uncover the formula that powers growth in leadership, a formula where each component is important, and must work in harmony with other components to create success.
Formula: Leadership Growth = (Self-Awareness + Emotional Intelligence + Continuous Learning + Effective Communication) × Consistency
Imagine baking a cake without knowing all the ingredients—it creates an unpredictable result. Similarly, without each element in our leadership formula, success becomes uncertain.
Let's take a closer look at some of the components in this formula, to understand their importance, and what would happen if any were lacking.
Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
Self-awareness is your map, but emotional intelligence is your ability to navigate. Recognising strengths without emotional understanding can lead to a static self-discovery. To balance self-awareness and emotional intelligence:
- Self-Reflection: Set aside time each day / week for self-reflection, paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
- Know Your Emotions: Develop your emotional vocabulary by actively identifying and labelling your emotions.
- Pause: Learn to pause in challenging situations so that you can reflect and respond, rather than react.
Continuous Learning and Effective Communication
Continuous learning is your toolbox, but effective communication is knowing how to use those tools. Your knowledge amplifies when shared, and communication is the key. Here are 3 tips for balancing continuous learning with effective communication:
- Teach what you learn: Learn something like you’re going to teach it, this changes the way you absorb and understand things.
- Maintain a learning journal: Log your learnings so you can record new insights and knowledge, and make sure you apply them, which is often the missing piece.
- Become a great storyteller: This will make your communication more engaging and memorable.
Consistency
Without consistency, growth becomes far more sporadic, and left to chance. Real results come from consistent and disciplined efforts. Consistency ensures you tend to the garden where you’ve planted the seeds of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, continuous learning, and effective communication. Here are some practical tips for embracing consistency:
- Set Meaningful Goals: Define clear and meaningful goals that resonate with your larger purpose and vision. Having a compelling "why" behind your objectives provides the motivation and discipline needed to consistently show up and work towards achieving them.
- Commit to a Daily Practice: Identify one achievable action you can do every day and commit to it for the next 30 days. For instance, choose a favourite song and commit to listening to it daily. Over 30 days, these small wins build a sense of accomplishment, reinforcing the idea that disciplined and consistent efforts lead to positive outcomes.
- Create accountability: Engage a mentor, peer, or accountability partner who can provide support and encouragement.
