1. Read– leaders are readers. Pure and simple. I recommend business books, Christian living, historical biographies/autobiographies, and magazines. And of course, the Bible as your #1 source.
2. Serve– jump in and help wherever needed. Ultimately, just keep Leading- more and more and more. The more you lead, the better leader you will be. And believe me, if you keep asking to take on leadership in your organization, you will continue to have more responsibility piled on you.
3. Watch– and learn from those around you who are more experienced, wiser, and have something to offer. Find a few leaders who you want to learn from and seek them out. Ask them for advice.
4. Pray– the prayers of a righteous man accomplish much. Pray for wisdom, pray for favor, pray that your influence will be expanded. And pray for humility.
5. Connect– hang around other leaders. Go where other leaders are. Catalyst, Leadership Summit, Leadercast, etc. Local gatherings. Small roundtables. Large conferences. Lunches. Receptions. Whatever. Osmosis really does work when it comes to growing as a leader. And getting outside of your “norm” is essential to growth- many times, just hearing how another leader is handling a situation will bring great clarity and perspective.
