One of my goals for 2011 is to grow myself more as a leader. This is an area I read in extensively, and I am continually finding plenty of ways to grow.

Not too long ago, I posted the first part in a series to help you lay a foundation for personal growth in your life. You can read the first five ideas here.

In this post, I want to give you five more ideas.

Make a decision to change.
This might sound overly simplistic, but no one can decide for you to grow but you. Too many people who are in positions that require leadership settle for the same old way of leading. If you want to become a better leader, you must take the initiative to grow. The choice is yours. But remember, not making a choice is itself a choice not to grow.

Keep an eye on the big picture.
My grandmother used to do cross-stitch. As a kid, I would sit on the floor and watch her work on a piece. I could see the design appear as she worked on it… sort of. From the floor, it was vague, with a lot of extra threads running here and there; and the stitches weren’t all the same. The image was there, but not quite. My grandmother, however, was looking at the piece from the front. She could see the finished product. She could see the big picture, and could determine just where the next stitches would go, and in what color. She could see what I could not.

See the big picture. It will help you direct yourself in the areas you need to grow most.

Don’t take shortcuts.
Patience is hard to have. I often find myself wanting to see the results now. But you have to remember that personal growth is a journey. And shortcuts don’t take you to the destination you really want. Shortcuts don’t pay off in the long run, and they may place you in situations where you’ll be tempted to compromise yourself.

Stay patient. All things are difficult before they become easy.

Be a positive learner.
Make sure you learn something positive from every experience. It’s easy to walk away with the negative, or the unnecessary. But look for the positive in every experience. “The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential” (United Technologies Corporation). Aim high. And learn something beneficial from every experience, no matter how mundane it may seem.

Don’t get side-tracked.
There is too much in life that can distract you. We get so side-tracked by so much. FaceBook, TV, a good book… Not that there’s anything wrong with these things. But it’s too easy for them to break in and take all our time.

You’ll be faced with numerous good opportunities in life. But not all of them are best. Don’t get side-tracked from your goal of personal growth. Stay focused.

In the next part of this series, I’ll wrap it up with four more ideas.

Check out the rest of this series:
The Secret To Growing As A Leader – Part 1
The Secret To Growing As A Leader – Part 3

Take a look at these five, and review the previous five in the first post. What would you add?