Here’s a guest post from Alvin Helms, our Chief Operations Officer at the Rescue Mission:
I must admit I usually try and avoid my yearly check-up with my
doctor. I could come up with several excuses to let myself off the hook. The simple truth is that I don’t really want to see my health the way my doctor sees my health. I prefer to foolishly forge ahead in my state of denial. Who needs my doctor’s objective view of some potential health issues that I may be ignoring! It is just easier to pretend everything is just fine.
Maybe you don’t avoid regular check-ups with your doctor like I do. But how about this: if you are a leader when is the last time you have given yourself a check-up from the neck up? Too many leaders avoid times of regular self-analysis to track their development as a leader. Here are a few questions I have used over the years to make sure I stay on target.
1. Am I involved in work that I have real passion for?
If you really intend to be productive and happy with your work you have to love what you do. Can you honestly say as you approach you work day that you really love what you are doing? Passion is critical to leadership development.
2. Am I spending the majority of my time focused on things that bring out my strengths as a leader?
Too many leaders waste time and effort trying to improve in areas that are never going to become strengths. It is better to focus on using the majority of your time on projects and assignments that point out your strengths as a leader.
3. Am I determined to improve as a leader?
This is one of the most important factors between leaders who keep growing and those who settle for status quo. How many projects have you left undone for some easy excuse? How many times have you let an obstacle get in the way of accomplishing an assigned task from your boss?
These are just a few questions that help me to stay on track and push myself as a leader. I would love to know some of the questions that you have found helpful for developing yourself as a leader.
Alvin Helms
