Personal growth is essential in growing to ones maximum potential. If we want to go to another level in our leadership, profession, marriage, and life, we need to constantly be aware of the current leadership lids an hurdles, and develop a plan to grow through them!
My greatest hurdle in my life right now (that I am aware of) is my ability or lack thereof to have crucial conversations.
The ability to speak up for what I believe. The ability to confront issues that I do not agree with. The ability to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.
Why is this a hurdle for me?
I don’t want to risk Relationships – I am a people pleaser by nature. I never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t want to push someone’s buttons. So I naturally tell people what I think they’d want to hear, instead of what I should tell them.
It’s Hard to Push Through the Pain – I know that confrontation is not easy for anyone, but it’s really hard for me!
Why is this Important? Why am I determined to grow past this?
Because People Respect People Who will Tell the Truth No Matter What – if people realize that I will only tell them what they want to hear, the value of what I have to say will go down the tanks. High-level leaders do not want to be surrounded by “yes men”. They want people who will give it to them straight, regardless if they agree or disagree. If the value of what I have to say goes up, so does the value of my leadership.
Because You can Only Really Help Someone when You Love them Enough to Risk Your Relationship with them in order to Make Them Better – If I am really going to add value to people for the rest of my life, it’s not going to be through just telling them what they want to hear. I’ll need to have some crucial conversations.
My Life is Always Changed by People Who Have Crucial Conversations with Me: Whether it was hearing that I needed to lose weight, needed to grow in a certain area, or needed to prioritize better, my life has always been dramatically changed by people who spoke the truth in love to me and were willing to risk our relationship in order for me to get better.
My Plan:
Force myself to engage in crucial conversations – when I need to tell someone something they may not want to hear, I am going to go for it.
Remember to Put My Friends over my Friendships – I am recognizing that helping people and making people happy are often not the same thing and that if I am living to make people happy, I limit my ability to help them.
Learn from People Who Have a Natural Tendency to Confront – My boss at work has been a huge help in this area for me. She pushes me to confront! She pushes me to speak up. She pushes me to say what I am really feeling. I know she believes the best in me. I trust her. I know she has my best interest in mind.I am going to surround myself with people like her!
Read – I am reading books on how to have crucial conversations!
What is your biggest leadership lid or hurdle right now? What is your plan to overcome it?
Do you or have you struggled with having crucial conversations and the ability to confront? What have you done to grow in this area?
2 Responses
Wow, this is where I live. I would love to know what books you are reading on this topic.
It’s a book called Crucial Conversation! You can buy it here: http://amzn.to/qmishq