While personal growth is a continuous process, there are moments in business life when it is essential.
Some of those moments are rather obvious to all of us; moments like when our job requires a functional qualification, when we promote to a first-time people management role, when our company goes through an organization-wide development program.
There are other moments when the need for personal growth might not be so obvious. However, if you do not detect the need in time, pause and address it in the right way, the impact might be very costly. In certain situations, it could affect your performance; in others, it might influence your career, and in the most severe cases, it could impact your entire life.
Consider following situations.
“I am leading the marketing function globally. Our market shares of our core products are in decline. We are struggling with innovation. Our competition integrated AI in their customer journey, but we do not invest in technology. I tried everything. I feel stuck!”
“We just received our yearly employee engagement results. I am shocked to see that my team has the lowest engagement scores of the whole company. There is clear feedback to me as a leader here. We will, of course, participate to all corporate programs to fix this. I do not know if I can do anything else!”
“I am told that I am a HiPo in my company. But I am doing the same job for the last two years. I work 14 hours a day. I do not know what else I can do to show them that I am ready for promotion. I feel under-valued!”
“I am managing the largest division of the company and I have to take care of everything. I am dealing with the Board daily, my team needs me and I am directly managing our biggest customers. There is too much pressure. I am exhausted!”
Is it obvious that they need to pause? Is it obvious they need to pay attention to their personal growth, people leadership, authenticity, resilience?
These are moments you need to pause to accelerate. These are critical moments you need to gain new perspectives, decipher the performance issue, increase self-awareness, embrace authenticity, tap into your strengths, gather new energy, define your purpose and let your purpose define your leadership.
A pause is an intentional break; a moment of in-action, reflection, inspiration, consolidation, followed by more effective action. There is wisdom in the pause. An extended pause, which can be in a form of a retreat, a coaching conversation, a leadership meeting or simply some personal time, is most effective if purposefully designed.
If you are leading people who are telling you, or are trying to tell you, that they feel stuck, that they do not know if they can do anything else, that they feel under-valued, that they are exhausted, listen carefully, listen early on. Support them with feedback, coaching and a customized intervention for their personal growth.
If you hear yourself saying these, listen to yourself. Give yourself the gift of personal growth, especially when the need is not so obvious.