Most leaders don’t want to admit this, but I’m going to tell you a secret that all leaders know deep down – it’s easy to stagnate. You could find yourself facing a dearth of creativity, becoming mentally unstimulated, lacking drive or losing sight of your goals.
Why do so few of us actually acknowledge reaching a plateau? It’s because growth is such an important value and mindset. But even the best leaders hit a wall at some point – it’s what you do to overcome stagnation that determines whether you get back on the road to growth. As leaders, getting past that dry spell may be even more challenging, because when you’re already so used to looking from the top, it becomes difficult to look forward.
But feeling like you’ve stagnated as a leader is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, it’s something you should own up to, because only then can you do the necessary to break out of it. Here are some ways to inject more positivity and productivity into your journey as a leader to make sure you continually find growth:
1. Get International Experience
One thing you need to remind yourself is that the world is so much bigger than just your office or company. There are so many new things you can gain from expanding your horizons, bringing lessons from different cultures into the workplace, and connecting with other leaders of different expertise and nationalities.
Take it from me. In my years in the business world, I’ve been a consultant for many international entrepreneurs and companies and have joined other leaders at key industry events to exchange insights, knowledge and skills. I’ve had the privilege to present as a guest speaker abroad, including in countries such as Hong Kong, Turkey, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Through my travels and meeting all kinds of people, I’ve seen how international experience plays a big part in helping to strengthen your leadership – beyond learning from other amazing leaders and their success stories, you’ll also be leveraging the opportunities that these experiences offer, be it gaining exposure for yourself and your brand, having a platform to share your ideas and receive feedback on them or being updated on industry trends. I guarantee that when you see a bigger world, you start thinking bigger and becoming a bigger person.
2. Recruit the Best Talent
A leader is only as good as their team. The mark of a good leader is always one who can bring out the best in others, but that job gets so much easier when those people already choose to bring out the best in themselves. This is what makes recruitment so important.
This doesn’t just apply to business. If you’re starting a band, recruit the best drummer. If you’re building a sports team, get the best players. If you’re a filmmaker, get the best assistant director and director of photography. These are things you shouldn’t be taking lightly, because if you’re not recruiting, someone else surely is.
Every single day, companies are out are there trying to recruit the best talent for their teams. And if you don’t at least try, then you aren’t doing your job as a leader. Leaders aim to get the best possible job done, and that starts with getting the best possible people to help you do it.
3. Make Sure to Rest
Working until we can no longer execute something as successfully is something that we’ve programmed within ourselves. This, however, is a false idea of growth. Why anticipate hitting a plateau when you should anticipate making further breakthroughs instead? Sure, putting in our best efforts is important, but that should never come at the expense of our physical and mental health.
Every leader needs their time to heal and recharge, lest they suffer from burnout. When you’re burnt out, your morale starts depleting, you’re more likely to feel disenchanted and productivity drops – in short, you aren’t in the best condition to execute your goals or even help your team do the same. You are a human limited by your health, so always try to make time to rest, regroup and rejuvenate. This way, you’ll be preparing yourself for even bigger growth as a leader.
To your success,
Mario
[Visit www.mariosingh.com now to enjoy a FREE e-book of my latest “37 Essential Principles for Massive Success” when you subscribe!]
