🏔️ LxI #003: How to (Actually) Unlock Your Leadership Potential

Read Time: >5 mins

In this issue, I'm going to reveal a tried and true, no b.s. guide to getting long-term results and unlocking leadership potential.

Unless you want to be stuck operating at the same level forever, you need to understand how to change your behavior. Once you grasp this process, you'll be equipped to develop yourself and drive growth in others.

Unfortunately, most development tools and strategies are focused on the wrong things. They lead people astray and waste time.

It’s easier to focus on outcomes instead of what actually moves the needle - changing behaviors.

On top of that, leaders struggle to make actionable progress because:

• “Lack of time” is an easy excuse

• Knowing enough to get by feels like enough

• Motivation is tough to come by

Here's the good news: Growth comes easy when you have a system.

I’m going to show you how to use my "Impact Learning Process" step by step. Let’s go.

Step 1: Define Your Challenge

When something matters to you, you are much more willing to change the way you do things in order to get what you want. So, it's important to start this process by defining something that is very important to you.

Specifically, you want to target the biggest opportunity you have as a leader.

This opportunity may be a challenge you're facing as a manager, a reoccurring situation with your team, a personal weakness, or a threat to your success.

What's critical here is that you choose the issue that's most important to you- the thing that keeps you up at night, the thing that you think most about, the thing that you are most concerned about.

Step 2: Describe What You Hope to Achieve

Now that you've found your biggest opportunity, it's time to write down what you need to solve it.

When you're doing this, think about the kind of leader you want to be. What kind of legacy will you leave if you accomplish your goal?

Meaningful goals get accomplished.

Step 3: Set Behavior-Based Goals

This is the “secret sauce“.

We want to make behavior-based goals, rather than outcome-based goals.

Let’s say you want to build more productive relationships.

An outcome-based goal would be: “Build more productive relationships”

But a behavior-based goal is much more compelling: “I’ll take more time to listen to others and, will not cut them off when they are speaking.”

This focuses on what you can actually control. Focus on your actions and the outcomes will sort themselves out.

Behavior-based goals are all about how you approach your work, day in, and day out. When you look at your goals through the lens of how you act, it becomes much easier to understand what you are doing that might be helping you, and what might be hurting you.

Step 4: Focus on “More”

Most of us would do well to start out by doubling down on our strengths. If you do that you’ll be ahead of 95% of your peers.

Once you know which behaviors you want to change, start by focusing on the positive behaviors you are already doing well. Then simply do those more.

The most sustainable path to growth is to focus on doing more of what you’re good at, not less of what you’re bad at.

(Read that again.)

Step 5: Identify Resources & Support

As the old proverb goes,

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

This final step is arguably the most important to your success. Take some time to understand your resources and who can support you in your journey.

Ideally, this is someone who sees your work and will (kindly) correct you when you aren't moving toward growth.

Focus on Taking Action

It's easy to get stuck in the planning phase. The Impact Learning process is all about taking massive action. That’s how you unlock the full potential of your leadership.

See you in the next issue.

-Shaun

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