Article on Leadership Skills:
The article below (and any other article specified on this website) is available for use in your organization’s newsletter or for printed training materials. All we ask is that you include the following acknowledgment with each article you use from this site: Self-ImprovementNot so long ago, I worked with a man who had been a supervisor and manager for many years. His performance had failed to improve much over the years and consequently had become deficient over time. Fundamentally, he believed himself to be “good enough” and had little desire for self-improvement. He was reluctant to embrace change. He was satisfied with his position and his achievements and did not initially understand that the continuation of his job was based on an increased level of motivation and performance. He was operating somewhat like a robot in nearly all areas of his life and had lost the spark that had been present earlier in his career.It is dangerous for any of us to become so satisfied and complacent that we fail to have enough fire within us to continue learning and growing throughout our lives. Surely this is a sign of a life cut short of its promise. Failure to grow and develop is akin to death, and it’s a sad thing to witness in someone who was once alive, with energy and hope for the future. Self-Development How many times at the close of one year and the beginning of another have you set New Year’s Resolutions? Many people, rightly, look at a new year as a new beginning—a time to make some life changes for the better. This habit of self-reflection and looking ahead is a very good one for each of us. It reflects our need for continued growth—an attitude in contrast to the man described in the above story. Setting one or two New Year’s resolutions is a commendable activity. The trouble is that too often we make resolutions we are not entirely committed to (but believe we should do, like lose weight) or resolutions that are so idealistic and out of reach that they are nearly impossible to achieve (like lose 50 pounds this year), and we quickly get discouraged. Before January is over some of us have already lost our enthusiasm for our resolutions and possibly even forgotten about them. Some people have even gotten so worn-out with New Year’s resolutions that they don’t bother with doing any self-reflection and looking ahead. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Create your New Year’s Intentions Instead of using the word “resolution,” why not use the word “intention” for your New Year’s goals? The word “intention” has a different connotation and, I believe, helps realign our thinking. Intention means we are taking action; there is passion and energy present with what we intend. It is this basic energy and hope for a bright future that can fuel our plans for our new year. Intention also means that we expect it and believe it will happen. Here are some ideas that may help in making this year a really good one. 1) Find the motivation somewhere deep within your soul for your 2006 intentions. What is it in your life that gives you enthusiasm and renewed energy? Use this as an incentive to motivate you to improve in some part of your life. Improvement in one part of life always has positive impact in other parts of life as well. 2) Spend some private time in the next few weeks reflecting on your life and your hopes for the future. Even 10 minutes twice a day during your commute can be enough. 3) Set a small number of intentions at any one time so you can really focus on them. 4) Set “stretch” intentions – goals that cause you to stretch but are realistic and not so totally out of reach that you can’t even visualize yourself achieving them. 5) Visualize your hopes as having already been realized. Experts say the more nearly and the more often you can describe and picture your desires, the more likely they are to be realized. 6) Write them down and review them very frequently, even daily. Carry them with you in your wallet and think about them often. Becoming even a little bit better person in the upcoming year can improve your level of satisfaction, in your career and in your personal life. In today’s world, self-improvement, learning and growth are not optional. They are things that our employers and our families expect of us…as they should. Without continuing to improve, we “die.” Set intentions for your own self-improvement. This new year will be your best year ever if you believe that it will be and proceed to act as if that were already true. Return to List of Free Articles on Leadership Skills
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