Sometimes that can best be done by taking something away, so that you force yourself to rely on the skill you are trying to improve on. If you struggle with face-to-face, one-on-one communication, take the option of email out of the equation whenever possible. This forces you to utilize the skill that most needs developed. It provides that practice that may not quite lead all the way to perfection but does lead to permanence.
This topic reminds me of teaching my son to ride a bike. It's actually pretty complicated to learn when you think about all that goes into it...the pedals, balance, crash avoidance, etc. So I focused in on what I felt was the most important skill...balance.
Fortunately, there are innovative companies that have also taken things away from a bike (pedals) to help make this easy for me. So my son began riding a Glide Bike at age 2 1/2 and just recently, at 4 1/2, started to ride a regular two-wheeler with no training wheels. The switch took minutes, because he had practiced and made permanent the skill of balance.
So when you want to improve as a leader, ask yourself, what can I take away to build an essential skill?
You can see my son making the Glide Bike to pedal bike transition in the video below.
Be A Leader!
