You’re stuck.
“What do you mean?”
You haven’t been growing as a leader.
“That’s not true.”
How have you grown lately?
“Well, I…”
And?
“But I got a stellar performance rating.”
Maybe so, but you aren’t growing.
Leadership positions have many, many responsibilities. We get into grooves, settling into our daily routines. In time, we get comfortable in our roles. That’s human nature. That’s also a warning sign.
Enter the dragon.
In the vintage movie Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee plays a kung fu master who undertakes a mission to take down a super villain and an army of henchmen. Now, that’s a serious challenge! With the help of a couple of American martial artists, Lee infiltrates the crime lord’s fortress and completes his mission.
So many good lessons from a 1973 kung fu movie. Lee uses his existing strengths as a martial artist, and in doing so, fuels his self-confidence. The movie demonstrates the strength of diversity, giving us a multi-racial trio of kung fu masters who band together to achieve an objective. The trio uses their bodies and minds to attack formidable adversaries, teaching us that external weapons, such as guns, aren’t the only means to win a battle.
What about that dragon?
Consider a daunting challenge like facing a crime lord with an army of thugs. Few people, including ace martial artists, will undertake that kind of risk. Depending on the culture, dragons represent many things, including courage, confidence and intelligence. Those qualities give people the drive to take on challenges. You can achieve growth by challenging yourself.
“But I’m doing good and I’m kinda comfy in my current leadership role. Why mess up a good thing?”
Comfort is a good thing. However, comfort, for all of its high points, invites apathy and regression. Growth pushes you forward, giving you a chance to add skills to your leadership toolkit. Those new skills will help you to lead your current team to new successes and keep you relevant in case you need to pursue a new leadership position.
“But you said I was stuck. How am I supposed to grow?”
You did it! You took the first step towards growth: You acknowledged that you’re stuck.
Let’s go back to the dragon, specifically the notion of challenging yourself to achieve growth.
I’m an introvert. For most of my life, public speaking made me feel uncomfortable. As I progressed in a leadership role, opportunities for public speaking came my way. Now, I’m not talking about speaking in front of thousands of people. More like small audiences of technology professionals and fellow leaders. Small or not, definitely exceeding my comfort level.
I could have pushed back on public speaking engagements. Instead, I embraced the challenge to overcome my discomfort. Was it easy? No! I struggled. Doubts nagged at me. Stage fright dogged me, causing paralyzing panic attacks. Regardless, I persisted through my struggles and continued to embrace speaking opportunities.
Over time, I improved. My confidence grew. I got to a point where I participated in company-wide panel discussions. All because I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone to learn a new skill. Also, I don’t like talking about myself. Using my own experience for this post is another example of stepping out of my comfort zone.
You may not be a kung fu master battling an army of evil henchman, but you certainly are capable of challenging yourself to grow. Some dragons breathe fire. Find the fire within you and begin your journey forward towards leadership growth.