Benchmark Learning's Blog

Successful leaders are always reading, attending classes, and learning from others.  They never stop growing and learning.  The leader who says, “I have made it and there is nothing more I need to do to grow.” will not be the best they can be for long.

It is particularly important in today’s world that leaders take the time to stay current, not only in their field but also in leadership methods.  I recall a few years back that I met a leader in his office and he had no computer.  I made a comment that this was the first time I had seen an office without a computer in years.  His response startled me.  He said, “I just never have taken the time to learn how to use one of those darn things.  Besides, I am a leader and have no need to be on a computer all day.”

I asked, “What about e-mail?”  His response was again revealing.  He replied, “If someone wants to talk with me, they can just call.  I just review reports all day and send notes to people on paper.  I don’t want to get caught up in hundreds of e-mails each day.”

Granted, leaders need to get out of their office and be with people.  But, leaders also need access to information and tools that are only available on a computer or over the internet.  Some leaders may feel embarrassed if their team or staff knows that they are taking courses or getting help to learn.  I beg to differ and suggest that the opposite is true.  Leaders who are not developing and growing are the ones who should be embarrassed.

Leaders set the example.  No where is this more important than in the areas of personal and professional growth.  Leaders should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and continually strive to learn and improve.

Are you a learner?  Do you take the time to learn something new each day?  What example are you setting?

Customer Focus – The SID Way a self-initiated development workbook for leaders and managers is now available.  What are you doing to enhance your customer focus leadership skills?  Find out where you can improve and help others!  For a full description and to improve your customer focus, order you copy today!

What makes Self-Initiated Development stick?  Having a development plan is great.  But unless you have the incentive and motivation behind it you will quickly set it aside and continue on your merry way without receiving any benefits from what you started.  This is where long-term goals and their benefits come in.  It’s like answering the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” and putting the answer to that question in front of yourself every day.

Think about your long-term goals?  What do you need to do to achieve them?  Think about them every day.  But, what are the benefits of the goals?  The answer to this question provides the motivation for you to work hard to achieve them. 

I know a young lady I can use as an example.  She was homeschooled and worked very hard at it.  She graduated high school at 14.  She graduated college at 16 and received her Master’s degree in psychology at 19.  Very impressive.  But, what drove her?  It was her desire to become a psychologist and to help people.  That is what she thought about every day.  She didn’t think about it in terms of what she could achieve, rather what would be the results.  But, she was flexible.  During a missions trip to India she realized that her calling was really to work in an orphanage in Mumbai.  Of course she would be able to use her education in her work, but more importantly, she was able to achieve her long-term goal of helping people.

Think about where you want to be in five years, ten years, twenty years.  Can you write down your goals for each time frame?  Don’t be afraid to change your goals as you go along.  But, think of the benefits to your goals and let these benefits be the driving force in your development. 

We came up with the self-initiated development model a few years ago when it became apparent to us that those who take responsibility for their own development have more success. In a nutshell, SID™ consists of six steps:

1. Determine your future goals. Think about where you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years in your career. Try to clearly define your goals.

2. Identify the competencies required for your current and desired position. (more on the competencies in our next blog).

3. Assess your current state. Using either a self assessment (from our book) or a 360 degree leadership assessment, identify those competencies that are your strongest and weakest.

4. Develop Objectives to achieve your goals. Using the information from your assessment and your goals, develop objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (scheduled).

5. Create a Developmental Action Plan. What steps do you need to take to achieve your objectives? List the steps and the resources you require. More on action planning in a later blog.

6. Implement your Action Plan. Monitor your progress each week. Set aside time dedicated to completing the steps in your Action Plan.

For complete details on the Self-Initiated Development (SID) Model™, get a free copy of our white paper describing each step in detail. Simply e-mail me at ben@benchmarkli.com.

Self-Initiated Development: Now More Than Ever! (the title of our new book), leaders and those aspiring to be leaders must take responsibility for their own development. We have been working with leaders and managers for over 20 years and have developed the Self-Initiated Development model for those who want to improve their leadership and management skills.

Combined with our leadership competency model, we provide the tools that leaders and managers need to improve. In today's economy everyone must prove their value to the organization and seek to improve in those areas that they are weakest. In the past you may have relied on your company to provide training or development activities. However, for most people those options are no longer available.

Take responsibility for your own development! In the postings to this blog we will discuss each of the 30 leadership competencies and how they can be applied to the self-initiated development model. We hope you will return often to get tips on how to improve your leadership and management skills.