Learning About Leadership vs Leadership Development
What’s the difference between learning about leadership and leadership development?
Being in the leadership development field for many years has taught me that there’s a difference between learning about leadership and leadership development.
It’s like the difference between reading a recipe and cooking the meal. Learning about something is very different than rolling up your sleeves and immersing yourself in the experience. In this case, the difference is the growth experience gained from leadership development versus simply the knowledge that there is such a thing.
Learning About Leadership
- Listening to a podcast or audio book on an aspect of leadership that interests you.
- Watching an inspiring TED Talk or YouTube video.
- Reading a thought-provoking book on leadership.
- Hearing a good speaker on leadership.
- Attending a seminar that comes up on your social media feed.
Leadership Development
- Making a conscious decision to grow as a person and leader.
- Taking time to get honest feedback on your leadership.
- Clarifying the gaps between your current reality and your desired future.
- Defining your goals as a leader.
- Determining the biggest source of growth in your life.
- Mapping a plan for your development to help close the gap(s) you identify. This plan could include coaching, a leadership course, and some support and accountability to keep you on track.
We’ve never had more access to information on leadership, but what have you done lately to invest in your own leadership development?
This past month I facilitated our eighth Authentic Leadership Academy, a transformational leadership development experience.
The Academy is built around three fundamental principles:
- Inner harmony precedes outer harmony. Everything flows from inner well-being.
- There’s a difference between secondary and primary success. Secondary success has to do with position, popularity, public image, and profit. Primary success is about the person you become on the journey. It’s important not to confuse the two.
- Connecting with your true nature and expressing it consciously in your life and work requires the greatest amount of change and makes the greatest amount of impact.
The recent Academy was a manifestation of these principles. We created a community of incredible difference makers who were deeply connected to their humanity. Being with these leaders for three days reinforced my belief that being a good leader is, first and foremost, about being a good person.
What was particularly inspiring was observing the growth of participants who came with their teams, knowing that they can take the learnings back to their organizations.
