May | Cultivating Growth

“Something has changed within me, something is not the same…”  ~from the song Defying Gravity from Wicked

Planting a garden is a humbling teacher when it comes to cultivating growth. We start by dreaming of the flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and then we make our plans to plant the ultimate backyard oasis. But the work to bring them to life, the weather, or sometimes a furry friend snaps us back to reality and can leave us feeling like we’re moving backwards or as if all of our efforts are for nothing. Cultivating personal and professional growth can feel the same — you make progress and all of a sudden you face a challenge, leaving you disoriented and sitting in discomfort.

Here at L@S, we talk about personal and professional growth a lot. We enjoy investing in ourselves so that we can become better leaders and coaches, and we love running alongside others who value that too. Our team would argue that if you’re not growing, you’re not leading to the best of your ability. Your leadership growth requires you to continue to expand your knowledge and range so that you can have a positive impact on a consistent basis.

Keeping your leadership growth journey consistent will rely on a few things, one of them being this fabulous word: CULTIVATE.

All we mean by “cultivate” is creating an environment and support system that not only gives you permission to improve, but actually is conducive to allowing you to do so. Just like cultivating a healthy, flourishing garden, you can have a seed, but you also need good soil, sun, and water to give it the best chance of survival. Then, of course, tender loving care for it to thrive.

Let’s apply this to your leadership:

• The Seed – Your Leadership Potential
  • What is your growth plan? What vision do you have for the leader you are trying to be?
• Good Soil – Your Strengths
  • What do you know about yourself? What is required for you to lead at your best?
• The Sun – Feedback
  • What do you know about the impact you are having on others? How do you consistently receive feedback?
• The Water – Practices and Habits
  • What are you aware of in your daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly practices and habits that will support you in your focused area(s) of growth?
• Tender Loving Care – Supportive Relationships
  • Who are the people in your life who are aware of who you are striving to be? What support do you need from others that will champion and challenge you along the path?

In other words, we’re asking you to be intentional. Leaders don’t become great/influential/inspiring/ by chance. Great leaders are constantly investing in creating the right environment that will allow them to grow in a way that positively impacts others. Here’s the thing — growth is going to happen with or without your permission. You might as well make sure that the harvest you reap is worth the seeds you planted.

Journal Prompts

It’s May. How are you progressing towards your goals? Are they still right-sized? Do they need pruning? No judgment from us on whether or not you are progressing. Now is a wonderful time to refocus. Take 5 minutes to jot down your first responses to the questions below:

1. 1. What do you want your colleagues to say about your leadership?
   2. What needs to happen for you to have that impact?
   3. What is one supportive element that will help you do that every day?

Listen & Learn

This Month’s Can’t-Miss Podcast

How to Practice Resilience With Dr. Taryn Marie, Former Head of Exec Leadership at Nike

We’re going back to the archives for this one. One of our favourite coaches, Michael Bungay Stanier, has a conversation with Dr. Taryn Marie about resilience, backed up by empirical evidence and tested! Find out about the five practices of resilient people and so much more.

This edition of the L@S Newsletter was written by Tara Rhodes. Tara is a certified coach, with a passion for learning and discovering healthy habits to thrive. Believing that work shouldn’t suck, she is on a mission to help her clients lead on purpose, and from a people-first, purpose-driven mindset. When she’s not devouring new information from a book, podcast or documentary, you can find her hanging with her two kids, practicing her Spanish, or watching/listening to some type of musical extravaganza (most likely Hamilton or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai).