One of my mentors shared a great teaching last week that I wanted to pass on to you today. Christian Simpson of The John Maxwell Team reminded us that every meeting and activity is an opportunity for growth if we approach it the right way. How do we accomplish that? It’s a simple three-step process:
PREPARE – PARTICIPATE – REFLECT
Let’s walk through each step briefly…
PREPARE – Whatever you have on your calendar, prepare in advance by gathering your thoughts, writing down questions or notes, and thinking through the conversations or activities that you will participate in. By preparing in advance, your mind will be ready to receive information that will stick. This gives you a greater opportunity to grow.
PARTICIPATE – When you are engaged in an activity or conversation, BE FULLY PRESENT. It is very easy to be distracted in our culture today. In order to participate for maximum impact, you must intentionally engage and stay focused. This may mean you need to silence your phone (or put it away out of sight). It may mean you need to find a quiet meeting place. Whatever it takes for you to give your full attention, do it! Too many of us are physically present while being mentally and emotionally absent. One way to participate better is to take notes. Make sure to write down important information so you will not forget later.
REFLECT – After you have participated, spend time reflecting on what was said or done.
- What can you learn?
- What did you hear that you need to apply?
- What are action items that you need to address?
- Review your notes.
- Spend time thinking through the topic that was discussed.
- Review the activities that you participated in.
Whatever you did, take time to reflect so you don’t miss lessons along the way. This process requires you to be intentional. We don’t naturally do this. When we live on “auto pilot,” we miss a lot of growth opportunities. Make the decision today to implement this process into your life. We don’t become GREAT overnight. Rather, we do so through daily disciplines that compound over time. Become more disciplined and you will see yourself growing and moving toward greatness.
One way I want to help you BE INTENTIONALLY GREAT is by inviting you to a FREE weekly leadership training call. Beginning Thursday, September 22 at 8pm EST, I will be co-hosting a weekly conference call with my John Maxwell Team colleague, Mark Williams. To sign up and receive the call-in information, click HERE. We hope you’ll join us!
Be Intentionally Great today!
