John Wooden said, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.”  One of our greatest opportunities in life is the opportunity to lead. We have all been given this opportunity in some capacity; to lead in family, to lead in community, to lead in the workplace… It might not come with a title attached, but the occasion to lead will always be there. 

So, in the wisdom of those who have grown before us into greater influence—into greater leadership—we need to know the resources that will help us to prepare. Because preparation just might be the next right thing. So what are you doing today?

First thing first, we need to know where we’re heading. If we don’t first know where we’re aiming, we may easily evade our growth rather than engage it. 

Do you know where you’re headed? Take a moment to reflect with intention. Do you have some goals? Think about how you might lead yourself, your family, community, or others in your workplace. Start with some ideas and maybe the specifics will surface along the way. 

Next, we need to know the way there. What do I need to get where I want to go?

Well, how about a plan.

A growth plan involves steps, processes, and resources we gather to build our leadership. Every growth plan is unique to the individual, but as you customize your own, consider some of the building blocks I’ve used to get me where I want to go:

Write it down. Seriously. Take out a pen, open the Notes app on your phone, or grab the napkin on the table next to you (if someone is sitting there, make sure you ask first). Write down the steps you will take to grow in your leadership. Writing it down does two things: 

1. It makes it real. Otherwise it was just a thought, maybe a fleeting thought, ethereal and unable to be referred back to.
2. It holds you accountable. Now that you’ve written it down, you’ve already started to act upon your plan. Writing down your plan gives it substance and accountability.

Seek a mentor. There’s probably someone else in your life, your community, or organization who is leading others. Send them an email, stop by their desk, ask them out to coffee, put yourself out there and ask them to consider mentoring you. Leadership is a journey, and it doesn’t have to be lonely. In fact, growth comes in community. Invite someone else to speak into your life, challenge you, encourage you, and draw out the gold in you. Leaders beget leaders.

Read. Former President Harry S Truman stated, “All leaders are readers.” Start reading. Even if your innate thought says, “I’m not really a reader,” try building a rhythm of constant input in your life through the written word. Don’t cut yourself short. The Spark Notes cheat sheet you may have used for high school book reports will cut you short. Buy the book, borrow the book, listen to the book; invest the time it takes to read it word for word. Just try. Just start. Need some recs? Check out my good reads section.

Listen to Podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to get some real life, conversational leadership practice into your life. I personally enjoy those that involve interviews and discussion around a certain topic. This provides us real-world responses to the modern day leadership problems. You need experience as you grow into leadership. But you can’t get experience without experience. So what’s the next best thing? Someone else’s experience. Experience is a great teacher, but it doesn’t always have to be yours. I personally enjoy the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, At the Table with Patrick Lencioni, and the Maxwell Leadership Podcast.

Events, experiences, classes. Have you considered participating in an event for the purpose of leadership growth? Why not? Events like the Leadership Summit or Live to Lead readily provide inspiration for leadership growth. Leadership is not built in a day, and we’re on this journey together. Meet others who’ve also chosen to intentional grow their leadership. They’re likely to encourage, inspire, and walk with you as you grow, together, in leadership.

Apply it. As you continue to amass information through learning, listening, and even events, you’re going to need to start applying all of this knowledge. Don’t be a reservoir; be a river for your gathered information to refresh others. Your journey in leadership can be an encouragement to someone else’s. But where do you start? I began by posting some noteworthy quotes on social media. That was easy for me. I launched this blog. Where can you start sharing your knowledge? If you don’t know where to begin, start with those closest to you: family, friends, your community. Everyone is needing healthy, leadership shared and modeled.

Has something else worked for you? Be sure to share below. It might be just what I, and others, need to move forward.