Tag Archives: Growth

Career Development, Personal branding, Personal development

This is my Most Important Goal for 2020.

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It occurred to me that if you focus on goals, you may hit goals – but that doesn’t guarantee growth. If you focus on growth, you’ll grow and always hit goals.

John Maxwell

I’ve studied so many of his books and I’ll recommend it for anyone who wants to master leadership especially in the work place.

Going through The 15 Laws of Growth, I saw where John Maxwell mentioned the differences between goal oriented individuals and growth oriented individuals. How did this happen?

He had a meeting with one of his mentors who asked him about his personal development plan. Instead, he started telling him how he’s planning to do this and do that and do this like we all do… I will get four more customers, I’ll get four more schools, I’ll hit my marketing target… bla bla bla…

In the course of the conversation it was so clear to John Maxwell that he just had goals but no personal development plan. He’s been a goal oriented person instead of a growth oriented person.

John Maxwell had to save money over a period of time, with his wife (this is a virtuous one really), to buy their first personal development program.

More than 45 years down the line, the difference is clear. He has sold more than 25 million copies of his books, a major with fortune 500 companies, a global leadership guru, trained millions of leaders round the world. You can visit his website here

This story alone gave me a new perspective of what my most important goal should be for every year including 2020.

But then, what are the DIFFERENCES between a goal oriented person and a growth oriented person?

  1. Destination VS Journey. With this, the growth oriented employee enjoys the entire moment and does not wait for someday like the goal oriented employee. For him, everyday counts.
  2. Motivation VS Maturation. If you want to mature, you’ll start living beyond mere motivations – whether you feel like or not, you’ll read that book, attend that training, do the PMP program…
  3. Seasonal VS Lifelong. This is why it’s important to have a defined career path. When you know where you’re going in your career, you take a lifelong decision and step. The growth oriented employee, sees longterm.
  4. Challenges VS Changes. Goals at it’s best challenges you. Although, for each goal you achieve, there’s an element of growth you attain. Yet, the mindset is different. Focusing on growth brings about changes. The last point explains this more…
  5. Stops after goal is attained VS Continues after goal is attained. This is the icing. There’s this death of drive or vibe that comes once we attain a goal. These footballers – Ronaldo and Messi – have exhibited this over and over again hat they are committed to growing than anything.

The same with you and me – if you focus on growth, you’ll become So Good They Can’t Ignore You. (By the way, that’s a book we’ll do in January, 2020.)

The growth focused employee has her eyes on the future. She wants to mature and not just get things. She wants to become.

And the truth is this, when you become, you possess the ability to produce anything you want at that level. You can also compare it collecting fish and knowing how to fish.

So, what’s my most important goal? My personal development. And that’s why I have a Personal Development Plan.

I’ll do a post on how to create a personal development plan by next month. I don’t just want to achieve goals, I want to grow in 2020.

Book Review, Career Development, Personal development, Personal finance

Friday Book Review with Chuks | The 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell.

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One of the best books I’ve read about personal growth is this. In fact, it’s like a ritual for me to read it before each year starts.

I’ll share few of the laws and insights from the book and if you need it, you can oder for it here.

  • The Law of Intentionality – Growth doesn’t just happen. Waking up and sleeping daily might require no much work but personal growth is different.
  • The Law of Awareness – You must know yourself to grow yourself. In essence, if your colleague in the office goes for a training on content creation yours might be for public speaking, ending what you know you need.
  • The Law of the Mirror – You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself. Don’t you think this might be the reason you’ve not bought those books… you don’t think you deserve it?!
  • The Law of Reflection – Learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you. Just think about it.
  • The Law of Environment – Growth thrives in conducive surroundings. Your company can inspire growth in you or dissuade you from growing.

  • The Law of the Rubber Band – Growth stops when you loose the tension between where you are and where you could be. Hmmm… Are you too comfortable in First Bank that you don’t want to grow again?
  • The Law of Tradeoffs – You have to give up to grow up. Anywhere you want to grow, you must be ready to sacrifice something or else…!
  • The Law of Modelling – It’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow. Even self made billionaires receive inspiration from others – dead or alive.
  • The Law of the Ladder – Character Growth determines the height of your personal growth.
  • The Law of Contribution – Growing yourself enables you to grow others.

Lots of quotes to look at but then we can just look at these:

“A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” Bruce Springsteen

“No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself.” James Russell Lowell

“Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempt to display qualities which he does not possess.” Samuel Johnson

“You cannot win if you do not begin. The people who get ahead in the world are the ones who look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them they make them.” John Maxwell

“Most of the accomplishments I’ve achieved in life I began to attempt before I was really ready.” John Maxwell

“If you put a small value on yourself rest assured the world will not raise the price.” John Maxwell

“There are things in life that you have to work for and there are things you have to wait for.” Anonymous

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“The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he working.” Ernest Newman

“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment you first find yourself in.” Mark Caine

“God’s gift to us: potential. Our gift to God: developing it.” Unknown

And now the part I love the most… Better is a wise question than an array of unsolicited answers.

  • Do you think you’ll wake up one day in 2020 and notice that you’re a footballer without training?
  • Are there TEDx videos you need to listen to as get more insight into public speaking?
  • What apps are you downloading for 2020 because you know you need them to grow?
  • Do you think the place you live now is inspiring you to dream bigger? What if you begin to spend time at Kilimanjaro restaurant once in a week?
  • Who is the best in your field in Lagos or Enugu or in any state in Nigeria?
  • Can you book an appointment to meet with the person in 2020?
  • Are there personal projects you’ll undertake in 2020 to stretch you beyond your comfort zone? (Open that manuscript again and complete the book…)

  • Are there books you need to read in 2020? (Am actually going through that now and into 2020.)
  • Are you worth a training of N40,000? If yes, what if you go for a Project Management training in 2020?
  • What certification does your organization requires for you to be promoted?
  • Who would you want to help grow in 2020? (Remember, wing yourself will help you grow other.)
  • What did you fear the most in 2019? How can you break that in 2020?

The truth is this: life does not get better with time and that includes 2020. It only gets better by choice.