Growing in our leadership skills is a never-ending process. High performing servant leaders have an unending desire and passion for personal development. They would not be at their high level of performance if they did not have this passion.
I heard a great phrase this week that referenced the life cycle of development that I found to hit home. It is just six simple words.
“Get it, Grow it, Give it”
When learning any skill you must first learn or “Get it”. You can learn great servant leadership skills any number of ways, but it usually doesn’t just happen by osmosis. You can “get it” through great mentors, through leadership books, through training classes, through coaching, and through social media. That last one is a new one to me, but I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the learning that can take place by getting hooked up to the right people on Twitter. Twitter makes it very convenient to get access to great leadership blogs and information by some brilliant minds in this area.
After you “get it”, the next step in developing to high performance is to “Grow it”. Once you have learned the skills of a servant leader, you must now practice them and make them a part of your daily routine. Practice is a lot of hard work, as being a true servant leader normally does not come natural to people. Going into it, fully understanding that you will fail more than not, is an important part of this part of development. However being vulnerable as I mentioned in last weeks blog, will help you recognize what needs practice, and will in turn strengthen your skills in that area.
The last area of moving to high performance is to “Give it”. Once you are proficient at anything it is then good stewardship practice to share your knowledge with others to help them grow and make a positive impact on society as well. Teaching others is a great way to continue to hone your skills and by doing so you are lifting others up which is what servant leadership is all about!
The phrase “Get it, Grow it, Give it”, is a great, easy way to be intentional about becoming the most proficient, high performing leader that your people deserve you to be. No matter where you are at in your development, there is always more to get, grow, and give. That is the fun and challenging part!
Mark Deterding
Excellent thoughts, Mark. I have found, in many areas of life, that until I have come to a place that I can “give it” effectively, a truth or life lesson has not yet become a part of who I am. That process of being able to not only articulate but to instruct (teach) solidifies the lesson. The Apostle Paul knew this to be true as well. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Brent,
I couldn’t agree more. The ability to “Give it” absolutely solidifies your learnings and makes it that much more a part of who you are. Thanks so much for your comments!
Mark
Really like this week’s blog. It really hit hit home with me. I have found that when I learn something of significant value the best way to keep it is to work hard at giving it away.