You’ve seen leaders who have stopped growing. It’s not a pretty site.
If you’ve stopped growing as a leader, you’ve stopped leading well.
But often, the leaders who have stopped growing don’t realize it’s happened. After all, the people who lack self-awareness are never aware they lack it.
So…how do you know you’ve stopped growing as a leader? How would you know that’s you?
That’s where curiosity can save us. If you’re curious enough to wonder whether you might be stagnating in your growth as a leader, there’s hope. Those who ask the question and actually want to know the answer will grow.
The stakes are high because if you continue to stagnate long enough, you’ll soon peak as a leader and head into decline. Leaders who have peaked face their own unique set of challenges. I outline seven signs you’ve peaked as a leader here.
Sadly, too many leaders stop growing long before they stop leading. When that happens, they become leaders in title only.
So, in the hopes of staying fresh, alive and vibrant as leaders, here are five significant signs you’ve stopped growing. The good news is if you jump on them quickly enough, reversal can be quick and effective.
1. You’re more interested in answers than questions
Hey, every leader needs answers. I get that.
But I also know that in seasons where my growth as a person and leader have slowed, one sure sign is that I only want answers; questions start to annoy me or bore me. And that’s a terrible dynamic.
Why?
Because breakthroughs are always preceded by questions, not answers.
Questions that threaten that status quo. Questions that probe for things overlooked by others. Questions that imagine what no one thought possible.
The excellence of your leadership is shaped less by the answers you give and more by the questions you ask.
