Growth is an Equation
We have explored that growth is something we believe to be important and manifests out of experience. It can come unexpectedly and in moments where we lack control. Growth can also be a deliberate process, even to the extent that it becomes an equation.
Mass + Willingness + Action + Follow Up = Growth
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
For all intents and purposes, on any given day, we see things occur and hear things said. In the moment between occurrence and response, we consider our choices. We contemplate some change; call it a thought. Maybe just a feeling that something needs to change, start, stop, or improve. Then, we engage in a series of responses.
For context, let’s say, I was perusing my new hire orientation documentation as I began my job at Russell Cellular. I read the RC Brand Foundation of “Care for Every Person”, and I realized, “That’s me. That’s one of my values. I relate to that type of expression.” That particular connection stimulates how I see my job as having a specific purpose. I begin thinking about my daily tasks, to-do lists, and aspects of my day where I interact with others. An idea forms in my mind as to how I might live this out.
Mass
The first of these is crafting the idea into something doable. It originates as an amorphous or abstract consideration – lacking shape, focus, or structure. How can I actually “care” for every person? Maybe, caring for every person is not just an outlook but more a certain behavior I can bring into my day. I begin to add a personal responsibility to be caring within my job responsibility. Then, with a deeper consideration, the how becomes more concrete with clarity, form, and meaning. Maybe then, it’s finding something specific to appreciate in every situation and with every person and acknowledging it and them. That’s mass.
Willingness
Willingness is a big tenet for me. It is part of my belief in the WHO factor; to authentically be ‘who’ you are…willing, honest, and open. The challenge is we can say we’re willing – wholeheartedly believing in something or that something needs to change – and let it only be something we say to ourselves and others. This is about committing. So, if “care for every person” is calling out specific things I appreciate, I need to commit to doing this every time I can in all possible interactions like face-to-face chats, calls, meetings, IMs, and emails! Willingness is only as good as the action that follows.
Action
A commitment must become action. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and philosophical thought leader from the late 18th century, is known for saying, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Or what about from the Book of James, “Faith without works is dead”? The point is, that growth comes in the engagement of behavior. Specifically, when we’re with a team member or customer, caring for them. Serving them and appreciating them in real-time. Thinking becomes doing, and doing becomes consistent, ongoing behavior. It becomes sticky.
Follow Up
Nothing says “sticky behavior” more than doing what we planned to do, assessing and reflecting on the outcome, ‘tweaking’ if needed, and then doing it over and over again. I remember years ago finding out that some seventy percent of all initiatives fail or fall short of being fully realized because of poor or lack of follow-up and follow-through. While I am uncertain whether that number has changed, I am still certain it tops the list. Therefore, if caring for every person is important…if it truly matters…then even with varying degrees of success and failure, we keep doing it. We keep caring and keep growing.
To be fair, this equation is a natural, organic requirement for growth. I believe if we lack in any one of these elements…if we ignore one or more or apply half-measures…our growth may very well lack in desired impact, influence, and outcome. As John Maxwell summed up, “Change is inevitable, Growth is optional.” So, choose growth and see what happens next.
How you define growth may very well be found in the answers below.
Questions to take away and consider:
- How do you intentionally create growth in your professional and personal life?
- What things do you ensure are in place for effective growth?
- What things keep you or have kept you from growing forward?
- If you were to schedule some type of consistent growth activity, what would it be, why would it be, and when or how often would it be?
- Name a thing or two you identify as “behavior(s) that stuck” in your growth journey. And why?
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