Growing Beyond Your "Go-Ceiling"

I'm just getting ready to leave for a Simulcast being offered by John Maxwell's mentoring organization, Maximum Impact. Click here for a preview of the event - The Influence Index. I once heard John Maxwell say that "if you don’t grow, you will go". The truth is that we all have a what I call a "go-ceiling" (I just coined this term this morning). A "go-ceiling" is that point of incompetence beyond which an organization or client cannot keep you any more. In order to continue providing value, we must grow beyond that "go-ceiling". Continued personal growth is a necessity in today’s world. The secret to any person’s future is hidden in their level of commitment to personal growth and development. This is particularly true for leaders. It’s your “inner” growth which sets the pace for your “outer” leadership. Here are some principles which can generate a life of continued growth:

1. Have a personal growth plan

Growth is not automatic. You have to make a conscious effort to commit to a daily growth plan. This could include reading books that enhance your understanding of your chosen field, listening to tapes and audio-books that elevate your understanding and subscribing to websites or newsletters that enhance your insight. This has to be a personal commitment. There’s a proverb that goes, “You’ve got to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather is”. Make that commitment. Develop a personal growth plan.

2. Stay out of your comfort zone

There’s a quote I learnt in college that I really like. Ron Osbourne said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow”. Many people get stuck in the rut of ”same old, same old”. You’ve got to stretch and expand yourself. Do something new. Do it in a different way. Some wag once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Stay out of that comfort zone. Comfort creates ease and ease is the greatest enemy of growth.

3. Grow for who you will be, not what you will get

You need a proper focus if your growth is to go the distance. You can’t just have the goal of acquiring stuff because once you acquire your motivation will wane. Growth should be geared towards becoming a better person, living a better life. Grow to become, not to have. Growth brings good things; good things don’t bring growth. It is more important to be a better person than to have better things. We win in life by being better people, not by having the biggest and the best of stuff. True success is really an intangible thing - it’s the quality of person that you are.

An Action Step

Define your personal "go-ceiling". What do you think is level of incompetence beyond which an employer or client will not keep you any more? Now, build on your skills beyond that level. Start working on things which will ensure that you have stick-ability.