5 Straightforward Steps to Transform Your Leadership And Get Others to Notice

Read Time: 3 minutes

Change is hard. The options are limitless.

Yet "growth mindset" is an easy phrase to utter but a hard zone to spend a lot of time in, especially when it feels like your job is on the line.

The only thing more disheartening is putting in all the reps to transform yourself and having no one notice. 

But what if you could accelerate your growth while ensuring people didn't just notice, they came along for the ride? 

Here's how it works. 

A standard play that many executive coaches run: 

1. Interview you

2. Interview people around you

3. Build a profile of your strengths and weaknesses

4. Identify the optimal development area

5. Come up with a plan to improve

6. Have you socialize that plan

7. Do the work to get better

8. Confirm progress

Done well, steps 2, 6, and 8 all include the same people. 

• They provided their feedback

• They understood your plan to improve

• They acknowledged the growth you showed

But you don't need a coach to run this. You can do it yourself. 

Build Your Profile

For some, self-reflection is easy: 

• Regular journaling

• Talking aloud to a partner

• Daily moments of mindfulness

For others, they need prompts, a tool. 

Here's a free one called PrinciplesYou.

Note: This is a GPS, not an algorithm. It provides a direction, not an answer. 

Regardless of whether you generated a list of strengths and weaknesses from reflection or preferences from a test, you need to prioritize them.

Map attributes into a 2x2:

• Resonates & doesn't resonate

• Important & unimportant

For "Resonates & Important"

• Double down on one strength

• Pick one weakness to improve

For "Doesn't Resonate & Important"

• Seek more data

• Caution: this could be a blindspot

For all "Unimportant," you can ignore for now. It might matter to you as a person, but if it's not critical to your growth as a professional, it's not where you need to focus. Edit ruthlessly. 

Tip: If you pick more than 1-2 things to develop, it simply won't happen. Worse, no one will notice. They're not paying nearly as much attention to you as you might think. Stay simple. Stay focused.

Enlist The Help Of Others

I'm sorry, but you're a liar. We all are.

We don't mean to, but we all have blind spots.

To guard against this, share the results:

• Ask your friends

• Ask your family

• Ask your peers

• Ask your boss

Don't lead the witness. Encourage radical honesty.

And if you're worried about approaching them, try this: 

"I'd love your help." 

Only the coldest soul can resist helping when asked. 

Now recast your profile based on their input.

Tip: Be willing to do the same for them. You'll get what you give.

Declare Your Intent Publicly

Good news: The people who care about you want to help. 

Better news: Telling them what you're doubling down on and how you want to grow helps focus their assistance. 

Best news: Accountability. You won't want to let them down.

Want to be even more strategic about their engagement? 

Build your personal Board of Trustees. 

Here's mine: