I’ll begin this piece by acknowledging a bias: I’m a lifelong learner with a growth mindset who absolutely believes we can build our leadership skills through constant reflection, focus, and practice. I also acknowledge that I’ve got a bit of a perfectionist inner critic who is never quite satisfied. While that gets in my way sometimes, I’m also learning to better acknowledge it and count on it to keep me focused on continuous improvement. Five years after retiring from the Army and two years removed from my last organizational leadership role, I assess myself as a better leader now than I was then, ‘getting it’ better than ever.
Why is that?