One milestone in professional development is knowing when to leave behind old ways and take the leap to adopt new approaches. Of course, no one can tell you the best time to make such changes, but you can prepare yourself by taking inventory of some of your leadership habits.
Here is an abbreviated checklist to get you started.
+ Does your current position allow you adequate opportunity to continue to learn and grow?
+ Do you have a gnawing feeling that you want lead differently but aren’t sure how to change?
+ Do you feel overwhelmed by the quantity of things that you feel you need to do?
+ Are you delegating enough? Are you delegating the “big stuff”?
+ Are you spending more time in the weeds than on strategy and vision?
+ Are you fully utilizing your support staff so that you stay away from tasks that aren’t the highest use of your time and talent?
+ Do you have the right support staff who can expertly perform these tasks and help you out of those weeds?
You get the idea. As you can see, efficient and effective management of your time is essential. As you evaluate your habits, ponder whether you’re spending most of your time doing activities that use your highest and best talent. At the same time, make sure you have the best support people who in effect provide you with the space to exercise your talent.
When you’re loaded down with tons of work, it’s hard to think about shifting your leadership style. But if you keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, ultimately it will be harder for you to step up as a leader.