As business owners and leaders, we often find ourselves caught in a relentless cycle of forward momentum. Our high standards and ambitious drive can paradoxically blind us to our own growth. We’re so focused on the next milestone, the next challenge, that we rarely pause to reflect on how far we’ve actually come.
Leadership growth is subtle, almost imperceptible in real-time. It’s like watching a child grow – you don’t notice the changes day-to-day, but when you look back after months or a year, the transformation is remarkable. The same principle applies to your leadership journey.
Here are 6 areas you may have grown as a leader…which one resonates the most with you?
1. Handling Tough Conversations
True leaders tackle issues head-on. They prioritize organizational clarity over personal comfort. They use kind communication, not nice communication. If you’ve become more comfortable addressing difficult topics, it’s a sign of leadership growth.
2. Seeking and Utilizing Feedback
Growth in leadership involves staying open to learning and actively seeking input from your team and peers. It is listening with an unbiased, open mindset. Maybe you don’t see it but if multiple people are saying it, then that perception is reality.
It is taking this feedback, and then asking yourself “How can I improve?”
This demonstrates confidence, humility, and a commitment to improvement for your team.
3. Delegating Effectively
Empowering others to take ownership is a clear indicator of evolving leadership. Trusting your team to handle day-to-day tasks allows you to focus on higher-level leadership responsibilities.
If you don’t know where to start on delegating, email me and I’ll send you an exercise to complete.
4. Making Faster Decisions
Learning to evaluate facts quickly, analyze information, and take action, even in imperfect situations, is a key leadership skill. Overcoming indecision keeps the organization moving forward. If you find yourself making decisions that align with the organization, faster, you are growing as a leader.
5. Focusing on Long-Term Strategy
Great leaders look beyond quick wins and align daily decisions with long-term goal. This can be difficult for those leaders who are doers and want to be in the weeds of the tasks. If you have made this shift towards strategic thinking and planning, it is a sign of your professional leadership development.
6. Celebrating Team Success
True leadership involves lifting others up and finding joy in their achievements. When you start celebrating your team’s successes more than your own, it’s a significant indicator of growth as a leader.
True leaders give credit and take the blame.
Leadership is not a destination but a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and growing. Each challenge you navigate, each difficult conversation you have, and each team member you empower represents a step in your development.
Take a moment. Look back. Recognize your progress. Celebrate the subtle shifts that demonstrate your evolution as a leader. Your team, your organization, and most importantly, you, deserve acknowledgment of this remarkable journey.
Email me back and let me know which one resonates with you!
Ways to Work Together
If you are feeling trapped in your business and not experiencing the freedom you want, here are the two ways we can work together.
One-on-One: Ready to create a business that allows you the freedom you want? We are passionate about our custom solutions and systems for your business. Our approach takes your industry, your unique disposition as a business owner, and your emerging definition of success, and we develop a unique to you plan to move you towards loving your business again. Click the link above to set up a call identify your goals, discuss your current roadblocks, and to ask any questions about working together.
Business Roadmap: This is for the business owner who needs help on what the next thing is to do, and the next 5 steps after that. You don’t need another social media course, email funnel, or sales strategy, but a plan specific to you and your business. You’ll gain clarity on where your business is at, create a plan, you’ll know what to do and what to ignore, along with the resources you need. In the end, you will take that plan and implement, saving you thousands of dollars and years of headache.
A third way, and I know I only said two, but sometimes I can’t help myself. If you are feeling stuck and are in need of resources, reach out. I am happy to point you in the right direction and even provide an asset of my own to help you move forward.
If you find you are feeling overwhelmed in your role as a leader or business owner, and need to gain clarity and a path forward, scheduling a First Steps Consultation may be your next best step. Sign up here
Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?