Why Some Leaders Can Never Grow Their Business

When I was a little boy, I was full of curiosity.  I was also full of energy.  My parents could have said I was ADDDDDDDDDDD! 

I believe that is why they put me in kindergarten a year younger than all of the other kids at the age of four. 

All of my early years in school, I struggled to just make average grades (and sometimes below average grades). 

During the spring semester of my 5th grade, I made an “F” in science on my 6-weeks report card.   

I tried to explain to my parents that I did not even remember us studying science that semester (a truth I still embrace today).  This may explain why I made an “F” in science.  

Until then, I’d been satisfied with my so-so to average grades. 

My Dad’s Challenge 

One late afternoon before the last 6-weeks of the spring semester, my dad and I were playing catch with a baseball in the backyard, he gently remarked, “Bobby, how about you see what you can do the last six weeks.”  His simple challenge really took ahold of me. 

So, from that day forward until the end of school year, I worked toward making the best grades I could achieve. 

When I received my grades for that last 6-weeks, I was surprised by how well I did. My parents were even shocked. 

That was the first time I realized my true personal growth potential. Until that moment, I’d never taken the time to ponder what I wanted to achieve. I just worked to get the job done fast enough so I could be released to play. I worked IN school, not ON school. 

And ever since that 5th-grade moment, my grades were always at the top of the class, all the way through college. 

Also going forward, I committed to become a “life-long learner,” and even after all these years, I still read and study 2 to 3 hours a day. 

Recently, I’ve been writing about the ON/IN principle which states that each of us should… 

When you work ON the business, you take time to remove yourself from the daily grind of working IN the business. This enables you to think about things on a higher level and make intentional plans about your life and business. 

Every leader can achieve out-of-the-ballpark results by growing themselves first. 

Do you want to grow your business? Do you want to achieve successful results that you have never seen before? Then the first person you need to work ON is staring you in the mirror each morning! 

The Problem 

YOU are the problem! It is as if you are the “lid,” or limiter, on the progress you desire. 

Your organization, your division, your department will be contained by your leadership. 

Your business is the size of YOU. 

Your employees will not grow beyond YOU. And if they do grow faster and greater than you, they will leave you to seek employment elsewhere. 

Your perspective on life and in business will be limited by your own personal growth. 

You cannot teach your family or your employees anything greater than what you know and have experienced. 

You cannot grow your business until you grow your people. But…you will not grow your people until you first grow YOU. 

Ok, by now you know that growing YOU is the key to the achievement what you desire. But why haven’t you been able to accomplish the growth and success that you seek? 

Your struggle is common, and best-selling author John Maxwell nailed it when he said, “The greatest gap in the world is knowing and doing.” 

However, the good news is you can grow your business if you are willing to grow YOU first. 

The Solution 

Your first job is not to grow your business but to grow YOU. 

Remember, success is a journey, not a destination. 

If you really want to reach your potential and not just experience life and hope you will have personal growth along the way, you must go out your way to seize personal growth opportunities as if your life depended on it.  And it does! 

So how do you begin to “lift the lid” on your personal growth journey? 

The Plan 

How to lift the lid off your personal growth potential? 

I have learned that you need a plan to maximize your personal growth. 

As a start, commit that you will choose to learn something new every day. Also, think about setting a goal for the number of books you will read this year. Remember the common (and true) adage: Leaders are Readers. 

Do you want to grow your business? What are you doing to “lift the lid” to your personal growth?  Please share your thoughts <here>.