Ken Chapman & Assoc.
Phone: (205) 366-0265
Fax: (205) 366-0401
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Personal Growth and Goals

Personal Growth—A Key To Success
Copyright © All rights reserved
By Ken Chapman, Ph.D.
Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

Why does one person achieve a higher level of success than another when leading a team, a department, or a whole company? Often, it is because of that person’s commitment to professional development.  If you ask successful leaders, many of them cannot explain it easily.  They may tell you that it is not so much a skill, but rather an attitude that they have for success. 

Successful leaders seem to truly enjoy their particular effort to get to know their customers and their employees personally.  They welcome the rapid changes taking place in their industry and they adjust their leadership style to accommodate those changes, taking advantage of change whenever possible.  They know that even though something was successful in the past, it may need changing to succeed in today’s business environment.

Do you regularly read your industry’s trade journal?  Are you a member of your local or state industry trade group?  For every type of business, there are a number of trade magazines containing excellent articles and information on problems you face on a daily basis.  Likewise, attending trade group meetings puts you in touch with other leaders who have faced many of the problems you face.  If you question an effective leader carefully, you will find that most of his or her ideas were obtained from these sources.  

Do you regularly continue your education as a leader?  It is amazing to most college and high school graduates how little they know after graduation.  Almost every teacher will tell you that the true purpose of school is to teach you how to continue learning.  Experience is the real education, but it must be tempered with discipline to continue your education through seminars and professional development.  Using only experience, it may take years to learn something that can be covered in a seminar in an hour or a day.  To meet for a day or two with other leaders in your field can provide great stimulation to better your performance and solve persistent problems.  

Are you involved in your community?  Do you serve on a volunteer basis in a chamber of commerce or in some other community organization?  Effective leaders know that in “paying their civic dues” to better their community, they are investing in themselves and in their business.  They gain a valuable sense of belonging and of the direction and mood of the city and its people.  They hone their leadership skills by becoming a leader on a committee or a board of directors and establish a network of friends and associates that lead to future effectiveness. 

Truly effective leaders know that they must sometimes leave the comfortable surroundings of their office or store and visit all parts of the business.  They must attend community functions and be willing to talk to government officials and other leaders about what is on their mind, be willing to listen to others, and take the time to continue learning. 

If you really want to be more effective, give some thought to the time you devote to professional development.  It is an excellent investment in your future and an excellent investment in your organization’s success.

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