Is your leadership growing or wilting?

I anticipate springtime throughout winter - it’s a burst of aliveness after a sleepy, sluggish season. Spring motivates me to get going, get moving, and fills me with excitement about the year ahead. 

It’s also a time when I reflect on what I want to grow and cultivate in my own life - how I want to develop both personally and professionally. 

I’m always keen to evolve, yet there are countless distractions - both internal and external - that can lead me to miss opportunities. Through many conversations with clients about personal and leadership development, I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. Here are a few distractions I’ve encountered personally and heard others share: 

• “I can’t spare the time - I have too much to do!” 

• Saying yes to unnecessary tasks and commitments that fill our diaries. 

• Overthinking or procrastinating so long that the time or opportunity slips away. 

• Prioritising others’ needs - “I need to invest in my team first.” 

• “We don’t have the budget.”

I’m not saying that some of these aren’t true or valid at times, but when leaders fail to prioritise their own development, teams and businesses inevitably suffer. 

Challenging myself with this realisation, I recently signed up for an online group course. This decision wasn’t driven by a desire for a qualification or simply to learn a new skill. Instead, it was about creating time and space to grow as a whole person. I chose a course that I knew would challenge and stretch me, offering new perspectives and experiences. I’m grateful to work in an environment where I am constantly learning - as many of you likely do as well - but there’s something unique about deliberately setting time aside, enrolling in a programme, and committing to it with others. For me, it brings greater focus and accountability. 

There are, of course, countless ways to focus on your development. Here are a few ideas: 

• Engage with a coach or mentor. 

• Read books and articles that offer new perspectives. 

• Seek feedback from those around you. 

• Book that conference you’ve been considering. 

• Meet with peers outside your organisation—especially those who think differently. 

• Sign up for and commit to a course or programme. 

 As I immerse myself in each session (and tackle the homework in between!), I notice a wide range of emotions surfacing: the excitement of learning something new, the joy when an idea clicks, the frustration when it doesn’t, and curiosity about others’ experiences that differ from mine. I appreciate what each person brings to the group and value the diversity of perspectives. 

This reminds me that growth and development occur in many ways and at varying speeds - and it doesn’t always feel like growth! Recognising what resonates and what leaves me feeling indifferent highlights how unique each journey is. There’s an art to extracting the nutrients we need from a learning experience and leaving the rest behind. The continual cycling through emotions, navigating ups and downs, is evidence that growth is not a linear process. While we may intellectually understand this, why do we so often expect consistent progress from ourselves (and others)? 

If you enjoy running or going to the gym, how do you measure progress? Is it by how fast or far you can run? How much you can lift? Your weight? None of these are wrong, but there are countless ways to track growth in this context. Maybe it’s the love and enjoyment you develop for the activity, how much better you feel afterwards, the energy it restores, or simply showing up even when you’re not feeling it. Perhaps progress is handling a disappointing run or gym session with resilience. Just as with exercise, there are many ways to measure leadership growth. 

What Are Your Growth Metrics?

You could track your leadership growth through your title, salary increases, or bonuses. But these metrics alone don’t capture the full picture. Not all growth can be measured - some of it is felt or experienced. Here are some alternative growth indicators that might not fit traditional metrics: 

• Building stronger connections with your team. 

• Navigating difficult conversations with greater skill. 

• Improving the quality of your decision-making. 

• Developing greater self-awareness. 

• Focusing on long-term planning rather than short-term fixes. 

• Modelling the culture you want to see in your organisation. 

These are just as important - arguably more important - than standard growth metrics or milestones, but they’re often intangible and can easily be overlooked. Yet they matter because when leaders focus on these areas of growth, the impact can be profound, like ripples spreading through water. Leaders with a growth mindset are essential for the success and health of any organisation. 

So as spring unfolds and breathes life back into the world around us, take a moment to consider how you are growing - not just as a leader but as a whole person. Embrace the unpredictability of progress, learn to value the intangible gains, and challenge yourself to cultivate a mindset that prioritises growth in all its forms. After all, the most meaningful development often happens not in straight lines but through winding, evolving journeys.