In 2018, I had a lot of job responsibilities… responsibilities that I really wanted! What began as an achievement for me in my professional life was beginning to negatively impact my personal life.
Then, in March of 2019, I began to work through my professional and personal life from a different viewpoint. It started when I attended a John Maxwell event in Orlando, FL, to become a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team member.
On one of the days in March 2019, John Maxwell said something that really struck me: “You are here on purpose, for a purpose.” I remember thinking to myself, I want that to be true for me.
That statement started me on a journey of growth… leadership… and learning how to better add value to others. At the beginning of the journey, I didn’t know exactly what that statement meant for me.
It wasn’t until I was able to make the connection between personal growth and professional growth that I realized, for me, they had been separated. Working hard for years to eventually have a position that was extremely meaningful to me didn’t automatically bring me more fulfillment or more joy.
Once I was able to make this connection, I began to realize that leadership isn’t just about those in our care. It’s also about awareness of ourselves through intentional growth, consistency, character, choices, relationships, and the other ways we add value to other people. That’s where my message, Lead Yourself First, came from.
I’ve learned that sometimes the next step in our leadership growth isn’t another responsibility, promotion, skill, or achievement. Sometimes it’s becoming more intentional about the person carrying all those things.
That raises a question that helps to ground me: Am I growing personally at the same pace I am growing professionally?
As responsibilities increase, it can be easy to focus our attention on what needs to get done, what skill we need to learn next, or what goal we are trying to reach. Those things matter. But it’s also worth asking: What am I learning about myself? Where do I need to grow? Am I becoming more aware of how I show up for the people around me?
Personal growth doesn’t require us to have everything figured out. It requires us to be intentional enough to notice where growth is needed and willing enough to keep working on it.
Seven years later, I’m still on that journey. I understand purpose differently today than I did sitting in that room in Orlando. I’ve learned that growing as a leader begins by being willing to grow as a person—and the more intentionally we grow ourselves, the better equipped we become to add value to those around us.