The best leaders are proactive. They don’t wait for someone else to tell them what to do. They take the initiative to find and solve problems and to meet and create challenges. The same is true in learning.
The best leaders don’t wait to be told by a manager or by someone in human resources that they need to change their behavior. Instead, they take charge of their own learning. Because they’re self-aware and they seek feedback, they know their strengths and areas for improvement and they know what needs to be done. They seek the developmental opportunities they need. If the resources aren’t available from the organization, they find a way to gain the experience, example, or education some other way.
It’s your learning. It’s your career. It’s your life. Take charge of it.
Excerpted from the LPI: Leadership Practices Inventory Planner, 4th edition, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, © 2013, published by Pfeiffer/An imprint of Wiley. All rights reserved.