Five Reasons Leaders Must Commit to Personal Growth
In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with him! Your spiritual roots go deeply into his life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him! Colossians 2:6-7 Passion
What value do you place on taking time for personal growth? If you are typical of many leaders in today’s society, I am sure that you have more than enough projects and people all clamoring for your attention. There never seem to be sufficient hours in the day, days in the week or weeks in the year to complete the tasks required of you as a leader. No matter how often you prioritize and re-prioritize your schedule, there just isn’t enough time for it all. Maybe you are experiencing overwhelming fatigue, frustration, irritability, headache, or some other physical indication of the fact that you are overworked. You probably have tried delegating projects to your staff but the more you delegate, newer projects find their way to your desk. Finding time for personal growth can so easily be relegated to the bottom of your list as you opt to take on the projects and tasks that seem urgent. All too often, this is a mistake that many leaders make, and it has serious consequences.
Leaders who are not committed to their own growth can become the greatest problem within their organization. In the midst of trying to meet deadlines, keep current projects moving, and make sure the people connected to you are growing and thriving, you’ve forgotten to make sure that you are growing and thriving as well. Personal growth is far too important to be sacrificed at the altar of busyness. Never confuse busyness with personal growth. No matter what your vocation may be, whether it’s as senior pastor, volunteer in ministry, or as leader of your own business, attention to personal growth is essential.
Let’s consider a few areas, which all concern the way you spend your time. Do you have regularly scheduled time for prayer and devotions? Are you spending quality time with your family? When did you last engage in reflective practice, in which you set aside time for thinking creatively with the Lord? These are just a few areas that facilitate personal growth. When you don’t find time for prayer and scripture reading, reflective practice or quality time with your family, you are most likely running on auto-pilot. If you think auto-pilot is enough, and you don’t recognize how badly you need to reset your priorities, let me suggest five reasons you must commit to personal growth.
Reason #1: The commitment to personal growth identifies areas in your life where growth is needed. One of the primary ways to grow is through daily prayer and Bible reading. Our fellowship with God fosters personal growth. As we spend time reading the Bible and praying, the Holy Spirit speaks to us about places in our lives that need to be submitted to the Lord. If some are out of balance, spending time with the Lord reveals them to us and then we can make proper adjustments. Fellowship with God also facilitates reflective practice, which helps us to identify areas of our personal life and ministry that need improvement. Spending time reflecting upon a recent sermon you presented, the way you conducted a recent staff meeting, or how you’ve been interacting with your your family and others, allows you to identify areas of inconsistency. This helps you to target those areas for improvement. When you do that, it means you are growing.
Reason #2: Your growth level directly affects those connected to you. Leadership means that you have others following you. As John Maxwell says, “If you think you are leading, and no one is following you, then you are just out for a walk.” Think of leadership capacity as it relates to followers on a measurable scale. If it’s on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being highest, and your leadership capacity is at level 7, then those who choose to follow you are most likely at level 6 or below. Consequently, when you stop growing, you cause the growth of those who follow you to stagnate. If your lack of personal growth continues, your followers will be faced with one of two options. The first is to disconnect from you entirely. Instead they may seek out an individual with greater leadership capacity-someone who can offer them creative opportunities for continuing growth and development. The second option is for your followers to remain connected to you, your limitations notwithstanding. Neither is a good option. The first increases your own sense of failure and the second insures that your followers cannot properly grow.
Reason #3: The pace of contemporary society requires continued growth and development. People are constantly bombarded by things competing for their attention. We have transitioned from an industrial age into the age of globalization. The invention of cell phones and social media has given us the ability to connect to almost anyone, almost anywhere. Leaders who are not committed to personal growth soon become irrelevant. They become as out-of-date as dinosaurs. Our technologically savvy culture leaves no room for those who cannot keep pace. Gone are the days of the overhead projector so that people could sing along with the worship team. Gone are the days that you could avoid addressing cultural issues in your sermons. If you are going to remain relevant you have to know what the issues are. Furthermore, your creativity is directly connected to your personal growth. The word of God does not change, but the ways you convey the truth of scripture have. Effective leaders are adept at keeping abreast of new technologies that help them increase their effectiveness. That requires dedication to personal growth.
Reason #4: Fulfillment of your destiny requires growth. To reach your full potential, you must grow. To grow, you must be highly intentional. The Bible instructs us to grow in all things. In the beginning of our salvation we were newborn babes. But babies cannot stay babies forever. No more can continue to be spiritual newborns. We simply must grow. Growth is directly related to our capacity to understand and function in all aspects of our lives, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. As our spiritual capacity is enlarged, we increase our capacity to fulfill our God-given destiny.
Reason #5: Growth helps you to maintain focus and vision. Without focus and vision, it’s easy to get derailed by the demands of life. Committing to daily growth is one of the most effective ways to prioritize your life according to those things God sets as priorities. Above all, when you commit to personal growth, you are placing the priority of seeking the Kingdom of God before everything else. As you seek and grow, you live into the Kingdom of God and gain focus and vision for your future. As a result of your commitment to personal growth, you will experience much greater clarity and creativity as you commit to personal growth, you will experience much greater clarity and creativity.
To sum up these five points, committing to personal growth can help you become a more effective leader. The way forward however, will require your deep commitment of time, effort and intentionality. While the price is high, the rewards of growth are well worth the cost. Failure to grow gives in to stagnation. While there are many more than five reasons leaders should commit to personal growth, the points listed above are solid reasons why you should undertake this deeply fulfilling journey. Let them guide you forward. Now let’s get started!
