Tip #5 – Practice, Practice, Practice!
We come to the last of my tips and if you follow at least some of these you will find the value you extract from your work, or leadership skills, training and development will increase many-fold. This will result in faster career progression, greater knowledge and personal development. It will be a win for any organisation that has invested in you and great for you in realising your potential.
So, Tip #5 is really just a prompt for me to ask you….

”what are you going to do this week to embed your new skills?”

In this series we have explored:

1. the importance of applying skills ASAP
2. visualising the process to success
3. socialising your learnings
4. finding someone to practice with

Each Monday (or other day of your choosing), set yourself a plan to do at least one thing from my list. You don’t even need to have done any recent development, take a quick review of something you have previously learned that really stood out for you and ask yourself...

“what am I going to do this week to embed this skill and make it a habit?”
 
Because training without implementation is a waste of time and money.
If you missed the rest of my practical tips for embedding new knowledge, check them on this page. Or for a conversation about ensuring leadership development results in meaningful change, just message me to book a call to see how I can assist you or your organisation.

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Why right now is the perfect time for positive personal and professional change and growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic is nearly six months old. You might be "adjusting" to the new normal life of social distancing, schooling, remote (or not) working, not going to the pub etc. Whatever the personal impact has been to you, one thing is for sure, life has changed. And change is stressful for us as humans, to a greater or lesser degree, depending on your personality. So why in amongst all this would personal development be important?

The pandemic has been referred to as a "crisis". Now I think that is a way overused word in our day to day life, but most people would agree that this event would be considered a "crisis". It is commonly stated by motivational speakers and the like that the word in Chinese for crisis consists of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity". This is not a strictly accurate translation, but the characters do represent "danger" and "a point where things happen, change".

And if you think about your M.O., it is likely you can go through your normal (pre-COVID) routine without much thought at all. How many times have you filled out that monthly/weekly report starting with a copy-paste? Or driven to work on auto-pilot? If we are comfortable and capable at whatever we are doing, we usually fall into a pattern of doing it without too much thought. In other words, you are in your comfort zone. Consistently staying in your comfort zone leads to boredom, complacency and stagnation.

So what does this have to do with the current situation? Eloquently put by American writer Peter McWilliams "Comfort zones are most often expanded through discomfort". And most people who seek out personal growth & development actively look to make themselves uncomfortable and challenge themselves by doing something new and different. So when the universe presents us with an opportunity to push us outside of our comfort zone, we have two choices; dwell on the negative aspects or embrace the change to see what we can get out of it. Being out of your comfort zone can involve changing perspectives, obtaining new skills, meeting new people, having more (or less) down-time or learning to use Zoom as your main communication method!

Now I want to acknowledge here that for many people this crisis represents some pretty awful outcomes, ranging from isolation from our loved ones to loss of life. I don't mean to belittle anything that anyone is going through. But if you do have the opportunity, this discomfort you are feeling right now, can lead to meaningful personal development & growth.

I work with professionals in my executive coaching practice who have had major breakthroughs in recent times. The key defining element for them is this feeling of the current crisis bringing their priorities into clearer focus. When we are clearer on our priorities and purpose, our life plans come into sharp focus. For my clients this might be a new job, a new leadership style or a clearer view on their company's vision/mission. Other examples of positive change actions might include:

1. Researching your dream of that start up you have always wanted to create
2. Updating your resume ready to get your dream role
3. Doing some study or educating yourself in something you are passionate about
4. Putting some focus on the actions in your development plan
5. Doing some self-reflection about what is truly important to you
6. Working out how to articulate your purpose in life/work
7. Checking in on your values and how you are living them
8. Seeking feedback from your peers/manager/team members and taking some action as a result

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So if life has handed you some lemons right now, firstly make some delicious lemonade (yum), and then have a think about what positive change you can make in your life as a result. Feel free to leave any ideas in the comment section for positive change actions that might be helpful to others.

Head to my website for more details on how Executive Coaching with MindCraft Leadership can help you make the professional changes you seek. Each 60 minute introductory session via Zoom is completely free of charge and with no obligation.