Wow! It's Christmas week. This week is going to fly by. Counting today, in eleven days we have a New Year. A brand new year with a clean slate and a fresh start to become a new kind of leader.
In December of every year, I spend time mapping out my personal learning plan for the upcoming year. I review what I did in the current year in terms of learning and growth. I look ahead, reflect, pray and strategize about what 2009 should involve.
This month is moving by quickly and I feel a little behind in doing this. I never feel pressure to have everything fully in place by January 1st. There have been some years when I was still doing a lot of thinking about this near the end of January. But I like to be pretty much ready to launch a new year of growth and learning when the new year begins.
If you are a frequent visitor to the Leadership ConneXtions International blogsite, then you know life long learning is a core value and a regularly discussed topic. I remain fully convinced, both by personal experience and through the observation of many leaders - that the best leaders are life long learners.
In his book Axioms, one of his final reflections was on reading. Bill Hybels had this to say:
"Read all you can."
"Leaders have a responsibility before God to constantly get better."
"I have little patience with leaders who get themselves into leadership binds and they confess they haven't read a leadership book in years. If you're a serious minded leader, you will read. You will read all you can."
A new year of leadership responsibility is upon us. And in light of our uncertain, economically challenging times, leadership in 2009 is going to be even more difficult and riskier. Our organizations, our teams, our ministries, our churches, and our people need us to be at the Top of our Game.
That means continuous improvement, a commitment to personal growth and a love of learning and the transformation it brings.
I am putting together an essay on life long learning that also serves as a plan you can use, tweak, morph in whatever ways you like to launch and sustain your growth throughout 2009. It will be posted by the end of the year.
But for now, get out your journal or some paper and start reflecting.
Blessings on your musings...
Grace for your learning journey...
and Spirit empowerment for your transformation.
Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
