Investing in personal development to become a better leader? Yes, it’s a hot tip if you, like many others, feel stuck in your role as a leader. “It is by training soft skills that you achieve results, even on the bottom line,” says Maria Narbom, CEO of Move Management.
As a leader, personal development is crucial for learning new things or upskilling, as it is also called. The opportunities are many: open online lectures, courses and training in leadership, newsletters, management literature, to name just a few alternatives. Nevertheless, the most important thing is to start with yourself and your personal development.
Tailored Approaches
Move Management offers leadership programs, team development, and coaching with a focus on developing strong leaders and organizations, where personal development is a central part.
“You must be able to lead yourself to lead others,” she says. There was a time when personal development was considered airy-fairy. That time is over.
“Today, I no longer encounter fear of the more ‘soft’ values in leadership. On the contrary, more and more managers and organizations talk about the importance of psychological safety, self-awareness, and empathy and want it to be a natural part of leadership programs,” she says.
Personal Development
Taking on new challenges, such as a leadership role, often becomes a springboard for personal development and is a perfect opportunity for learning and personal growth, according to Maria Narbom. It is through reflection and feedback that we can continue to evolve.
“Conscious leaders are needed to create psychological safety, which we know is crucial for effective collaboration. Companies that succeed in this will remain competitive. To achieve that, we must start with personal leadership.”
No one wishes for setbacks or crises, even though we know they are part of life.
“The greatest development often occurs by facing setbacks when resistance forces you to think differently,” states Maria Narbom, who has personal experience of emerging stronger through a crisis.
Over ten years ago, she went through a divorce shortly after giving birth to her second child.
“What I discovered was the incredible strength within us. We often handle more than we think. I emerged stronger after the crisis with a completely different self-awareness and humility towards what others are going through. That ability has been invaluable in the various leadership roles I have had.”
Maria Narbom emphasizes that it is only when we are forced to step back that we can take the big step forward.
“For example, being laid off can be incredibly developmental, even if it doesn’t feel that way when you receive the news.”
She argues that the personal development journey is crucial to succeeding as a leader, especially if you want to strengthen your relationships and achieve set goals.
“It is by training soft skills that you achieve results, even on the bottom line.”
5 reasons to invest in personal development as a leader:
- Personal development yields results on the bottom line. It is by training soft skills that you achieve hard results.
- Increased Attractiveness. You become more competitive in new hires.
- Smoother Change Processes. You find it easier to lead change because you can empathize with the employees’ situation.
- Increased Resilience. You become more resilient to setbacks and recover faster from challenges.
- More Courage. The more you develop, the more courageous you become. And those who dare, win.
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