A Leader’s Silent Investment

If you’re a young leader—whether that’s by age or experience—then I want to talk to you today. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll cut to the chase:

Personal growth is a leader’s greatest silent investment.

By that I mean, it doesn’t speak up, it shows up.

When we’re growing, then the result of that choice is obvious in our actions. It shows up in our habits, our decisions, our responses to the challenges we face as a leader.

When we’re not growing, the result of that choice is obvious in our words. We make promises we can’t or won’t keep, cast vision that’s not rooted in reality, give assurances we’re ill-prepared to give.

When you’re first starting out as a leader, it is easy to put the emphasis on words. They’re the easiest access points people have to our thinking and our heart. But over time, our words carry less weight than our actions, because actions are the genuine outflow of our thinking and our heart.

If you want to lead well, you have to become a person of action. A person who walks the leader’s walk as well as talking the leader’s talk.

That’s why growth is so important. You’re always going to have areas where growth is possible, and when you’re just getting started as a leader, there are several areas where growth is required. You need to grow in your habits; your thinking; your ability to connect with others; your ability to make necessary decisions; and especially your areas of strength.

If you want to grow, you have to be intentional about it. And nothing helps you get intentional like being around other people who are growing. Growth is a team sport—we grow faster when we’re surrounded by others who are growing.

That’s why I want to invite you to Live2Lead. This one-day event, featuring Rachel Hollis, Angela Ahrendts, Marcus Buckingham, and Chris Hogan, is designed to help all leaders grow.

I want you to experience the energy in the room—not just from the five people on stage, but from the thousands of leaders who will sit beside you in the audience. The leaders who, just like you, are looking to grow and become better.

Live2Lead will require you to pay a price, but that’s true of all growth; but it’s not a price if it yields a return.

That’s when it becomes an investment.

Your personal growth is your greatest investment—because you can’t lead others well if you don’t lead yourself first.

Growth shows up. I hope you will too.