At Leadership Harbor, our three coaches—Kris, Brian, and Chris—talk about personal growth and development, and we encourage individuals on their journey to living a significant life. That’s probably not news to you.
There are a variety of ways to place personal growth in your life—opening yourself to new opportunities and relationships, traveling, reading, listening and performing music, pursuing further education and learning—and there are a myriad of ways to add those things to your life: on your own, with a mentor or coach, joining groups, etc.
That being said, lately, I’ve run into several people who have all made these same statements:
I don’t have any problems I can’t handle myself. Why would I need a coach or a mastermind group?
Personal growth and my purpose is about business—what I do for a living or my career. It doesn’t affect my personal life.
I don’t have time to do personal growth. My day is full already with the tasks I need to accomplish.
I get it. I’ve been there and thought that—at least, in my previous life. I used to go to conferences—I do love to learn!—and I would come home with the best of intentions and bunches of notes and ideas. I might implement something new, but more often than not, the notes stayed in the binder I wrote them in, first on the corner of my desk, then on the credenza behind my desk on top of the “to-do” pile, then at the bottom of my “to-do” pile, then finally on a shelf where it wouldn’t be looked at again until I cleaned my shelves or moved out of the office. By then, they were obsolete and landed in my recycling bin. The same thing would apply to books I read. Great info! Rarely applied or placed in action. This is why I can’t handle my personal growth as effectively alone as I can with a coach or in a mastermind group. Yes—I have coaches and mentors (note the plural) and participate in mastermind groups. How can I be the best I can be without practicing what I preach?
How do I find the time? I make growth a priority. I can’t get better without taking the time and putting forth the effort to learn, and more importantly, to take action on what I’m learning. My potential is unlimited. Since I believe that I can always be a better version of myself, I want to know just what that looks like. It drives me to constantly push my growth.
I’m guessing that you might be thinking, “Well, of course she thinks that! She wouldn’t be doing what she’s doing unless she did.” Guess what? I’ve grown more since I hired coaches and began participating in and leading mastermind groups (over the last four years) than I did in the previous 10 years of trying to do it all on my own.
Take a minute and check out the graphic below. The overlap between personal life and business life is obvious, but don’t just take my word for it. Circle the items you’d like to see stronger in your life, either personal or business. Now draw a line to anything else that would be affected by a change in that one area of your life. On the sides, write out the people or relationships that might be affected. Now, write out the activities or opportunities that might be affected in each area. And finally, consider the method—or methods—of change you’d like to use to help you in your personal growth from the line at the top.
Coaching will move a person the furthest fastest, but it is also the larger commitment monetarily (although the more coaching you commit to, the more affordable it is).
Think Tanks are a mastermind group that meets monthly. There will be some teaching/leadership development and an opportunity to share and encourage each other as a peer-advisory-type group. This is a great intentional growth method and may be more affordable. There is a minimum commitment of six months, payable monthly, and a discount for an annual commitment.
Mastermind Groups are focused learning around a particular book. They run six weeks. This can be very affordable—like free if you bring three new to Leadership Harbor participants.
Mini Masterminds (aka Minis) are a weekly (mostly) one-hour wonder—no prep on your part. Topics are posted on our website and social media. Very affordable, and you can just drop in or prepurchase a punch card.
And finally, we come to Books. This is the least invasive in your current life but is also less likely to change your thoughts and habits unless you are incredibly disciplined and intentional and have a partner to help you think through applications.
Intentional growth has helped me take the leap from working for others to creating my own business—and loving my work life! Even better? I’ve actually grown more on a personal level in that time. I’m a new person. I make better decisions and have better relationships. I’m leaving a legacy, and I know what it is. I’m living my life significantly, and I can honestly say that if I died tomorrow, I would not have regrets—well… there is one. I wish I had started on my personal growth journey with others earlier than I did.