True Leaders Never Stop Learning

by David Kajganich

How do you know when a person has stopped growing and will soon begin to start failing? It is pretty clear that time is coming when you hear statements such as: “Yeah, I know about that” or “I went through that training once” or “I’ve heard this before.”

Now, by failing, I also mean they have settled into mediocrity or have settled for being average and just getting by. Then, when things go awry, they are quick to point fingers and start the blame, complain and defend game.

A true leader always puts their people above themselves. The leader needs to understand their interests, needs and desires to truly connect with and add value to them. I’m sure that every leader feels they already do that. So did I. Until I realized how much I didn't know.

A true leader always puts their people above themselves.

Sometimes, when you are bogged down in the everyday running of things, you don't see the world changing around you. At some point, I realized some of the things that used to work weren't really working anymore.

That makes sense. Stay in businessor in the same position long enough, and there is a very good chance that the new people coming on board will have a different view of things. Once I began to embrace the fact that I needed to improve, I set out to find the best people to learn from.

As a lifelong learner and ravenous consumer of personal development and growth material, spending a good amount on resources is second nature to me. I always want to stay ahead of the competition and be the best I can be. Funny thing is, the more I spent, the better I became and the more successful my results were.

That’s the other thing. Who you learn from matters. I only wanted to learn from the best. I never really look at it as a cost. I view it as an investment in my own development. Over the years, that investment has been substantial. Yes, many times it was a message that "I'd heard before." But here's the thing about that: many times, I was at a different stage of life, business, mindset etc. than before. Maybe it wasn't a message that I needed, or resonated with then, but hearing it again made it click.

I am so grateful that I’ve continued seeking improvement. Nowadays, all anyone hears is how difficult finding and retaining great people has become. I hear it too. I see the help wanted signs. Yet I decided to open a new business during it all. Because I have faith in people. I know there are always great people. I also knew that I needed to better understand how to find those people.

So, what did I do? Same thing as always. I found someone who could teach me how to reach them, what approach I needed to take, how to convey the proper message etc. That brought them through the door. Then, my past training helped me select the best from the pool of applicants. The result was a fabulous team, each member committed to excellence and empowered and trusted to do their jobs as if they owned the business. I don’t think it would have happened had I not sought out and invested in that training.

Yes, it took some time and money, but if you are afraid of investing in your own personal growth and development, why would you expect anyone else to want to follow you?