The Ararat Connection: Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Dear Leader,

As a leader, it should be at the top of your list to strive for continuous personal improvement. Why? Because leading a team of people is a dynamic and ever-evolving challenge.

As humans, we aren’t perfect - far from it. Leading a team of imperfect humans is even more difficult. In order to rise to the occasion time after time and stay at the top of your game, you must strive to stay curious and learn from each experience you have, because your growth is directly correlated to the company’s growth.

While sometimes opportunities for personal growth will appear on their own, sometimes that growth requires you to go a little out of your way. One of the best ways to ensure personal growth is to work on your desire to constantly learn as much as possible. Get in the habit of asking questions and challenge your perceptions by listening to the viewpoints of others.

Start questioning yourself - in a healthy way. Instead of spiraling into self-doubt, consider the motivations behind your actions, and try to dig deeper behind the reasons that you choose to do what you do. In other words, spend some time self-analyzing, just not in a negative way.

Work on your communication skills. As a leader, you’ll have to be a fantastic communicator. You need to be able to tell people when they’re doing something wrong and praise them when they’re doing well. You should also be striving to make your ideas and thoughts clear to those around you because they’re worth sharing!

What area of personal growth is most difficult for you? Is there something that you think you need to work on?

As a leader, it’s easy to feel as though you need to put on a tough persona, but one of the best ways to keep your team motivated is to try a little tenderness once in a while. By this, I mean being open with your team about how much you appreciate the work they do for you.

How does this relate to personal growth? Often, we forget to show our appreciation for those around us, but there’s nothing worse than feeling as though you're being taken for granted. Don’t leave your team feeling unappreciated, push yourself to say thank you. Humbling yourself - especially as a leader - to the point where you’re expressing gratitude for your team members can be challenging, although of course, it shouldn’t be.

Practice saying thank you more, and go out of your way to compliment the work that’s being done.

I’m so happy that you care about becoming a better leader - because I do too! I always have a ton of events for people just like you, from webinars to physical classes and fun get-togethers. Check out my calendar to sign up for something that’s perfect for you: [event_page]

Kind regards,