I’m currently reading John Maxwell’s new book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. One of those laws is: “Growth doesn’t just happen.”
One of the points that John makes is that you have to be intentional and willing to invest in your growth. (With both your time and with your finances.) He tells a story of wanting to take an expensive leadership development course early in his career and having to save for months in order to do so.
[Tweet “It’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow. John Maxwell”]
His point reminded me of something a former employee said to me years after we worked together. He said that he has never worked for anyone else that has been so invested growing themselves and others. The beauty of the comment is that even when the budget for training dried up and blew away, the people I served still received great training.
Below are five tips for fueling your fire and theirs on a really tight budget…
- Read Blogs. They are free! I continue to recommend The Lead Change Group. Additionally, Great Leadership, Let’s Grow Leaders, and Lead With Giants host a blog carnival once a month that include links to multiple blogs that are focused on Leadership Development.
- Download free books off of iTunes and Amazon.
- Start a leadership development book club/blog club! Share and discuss what you are reading, what you are doing differently, what is working, what is not, and how you are growing.
- Participate in Tweet Chats. They are free, they last one hour, and in addition to having opportunities to dive into a particular topic with people from around the world they are outstanding networking opportunities! I highly recommend these leadership Tweet Chats. #LeadFromWithin #BeALeader #LeadWithGiants #PeopleSkills.
- Ask a customer or vendor that is an expert at something to share some of their expertise with your team. (When budgets were tight, I did that. Our customers were thrilled to share their passion and to deepen the relationship, and my team received high quality training.)
Bottom line: [Tweet “Growing or not is YOUR choice.”]
Please share: How are you investing in yourself and in others – even on a tight budget?
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Great message, Chery. Love the tree!
Thank you Joy! I love what you shared on Google+ about the tree in Hawaii! WOW I would love to sit under that tree!
I am a prolific networker. I find that as I met people,my message either resonates or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t I find that I have to go back and improve. You cannot create change and lead change unless you have a strong, pervasive message that is delivered in an upbeat, professional manner. For me, as I meet new people, every day is a test of how well I begin the process of convincing people to buy into change. Part two is to lead the effort. As you go a bout your daily activities, people notice if you are a leader or not. Many I know don’t want to change. If you don’t live change, others will notice. You need to lead change by living change. My life is proof that it works.
Henry – I love your comment about being a prolific netwoker. Have you ever noticed that networking is not a natural skill for many people? And have you ever helped someone else learn how to do it well?
Loved this post! It reminds me of that proverb “As Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We need interaction with others to be the best we can be…when we stop learning, we’re done.
Have a blessed week!
Thanks LaRae! I love the reminder of iron sharpens iron! You’re speaking my language!
Great ideas! I’ve also asked my team members to facilitate brown bags on the topics of their choice. Everyone got to learn and grow – including the presenter!
Alli – I LOVE it! The people presenting the topic deepen their own learning during the prep and facilitation. Not to mention how much energy, engagement and creativity is unleashed as different people take ownership! I bet you had tons of laughs, lots of bonding and some great learnings!
Hi Chery. Great post. Continuous learning is the mark of every Leader. Thanks for the mention of Lead With Giants.
Glad to share Dan! It’s an awesome community of wisdom!