Leadership Success: Making The Long Term Commitment
In the modern day of mobile phones with facilities to access the web, send tweets, watch video and listen to audio to name just a few, it is easy to fall into the trap of expecting instant success or results.
Achieving leadership success on the other hand is very much a long term project. Pick up any books that are written by or are about successful people and you will notice that far from being an instant success, it took years to get the breakthrough and then even more time to capitalise on that initial breakthrough.
So what does this mean for anyone who is seeking to be a successful leader?
Make a long term commitment
A lot is said about the importance of having a long term career plan. At the same time few ever sit down and make the time to create some sort of long term plan. It does not need to be anything over elaborate it can be as simple as a statement of intention. For example, when I worked in accountancy, my intention was to keep testing myself at the next level partly to prove that I could do it but more importantly to get access to new challenges.
Invest in yourself
Many people talk about the pressures on training budgets right now and in many organisations the level of funding for training might be being cut significantly. At the same time a lack of funding from the employer is sometimes a convenient excuse for not undertaking any continuing professional development or even getting that qualification you need. Think about the longer term. What would a few hundred or even a few thousand pounds or dollars give you in return long term over your entire career? Start to think of personal investment in your development as an investment rather than a cost.
Seek out different options and then act
There have never been more opportunities to grow and develop as there are today. The internet has opened a huge range of possibilities from teleseminars to webinars to podcasts to free reports to name just a few. You can also put yourself forward for projects, potentially shadow someone more senior or take a secondment. Essentially find different options to developing so that you can choose a selection which give you the best return for your time.
Bottom Line – Achieving leadership success should be viewed as a marathon not a sprint. So what commitment do you need to make to achieve more success as a leader?
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.