30/05/2023
As a State Manager, I Decided To Stop Receiving Coaching & Development
The dangers of thinking I knew it all.
I used to be that state/ops manager who believed I had reached the pinnacle of my career and didn't need ongoing coaching and development.
Imagine yourself as a skilled guitarist, passionately playing amazing music.
You've spent years mastering the basics and receiving praise for your talent.
And then it hits you - you decide that you've reached your peak and there's nothing more to learn.
You stop practising, refining your technique, and seeking inspiration from other musicians.
Can you guess what happens next?
Your skills plateau, your music loses its magic, and you start falling behind those who continued to learn and grow.
You don’t simply maintain your skill… it actually decreases over time.
Now, let's bring this analogy to our world of leading from the middle.
I was once convinced that I knew it all, shutting myself off from ongoing coaching and development.
But in reality, I was placing a cap on my own potential.
The franchise industry is ever-evolving, with changing consumer preferences, evolving generations, advancing technology, and emerging strategies.
By refusing to embrace ongoing coaching and development, I found myself becoming stagnant and outdated - a shadow of the leader I could have been.
But here's the kicker - it wasn't just my career that suffered.
My team's performance took a hit too.
As a manager, your team looks to you for guidance, support, and inspiration.
When you dismiss the need for ongoing coaching, you inadvertently send a message that learning is no longer important.
This demotivates your team, stifles innovation, and prevents growth.
I witnessed firsthand how complacency seeped into our culture, stopping our collective success.
So, what's the solution?
Learning from my mistakes…
Embrace development with open arms.
Understand that as a manager, I don't have all the answers, and that's perfectly fine.
Actively seeking out opportunities to learn and grow - finding a mentor, investing in coaching, going to leadership summits and conferences, etc.
By investing in my own growth, I found that I was inspiring my team to do the same, which was creating a culture of continuous improvement and driving exceptional results.
Remember, personal growth is an ongoing journey.
The moment you think you know it all is the moment you hit a professional dead-end.
Don't let ego and complacency hold you back from your true potential. You could be missing amazing opportunities…
Trust me - I've been there.
I've witnessed the impact of working on my skill gaps firsthand.
It transformed me from an average manager into an innovative leader, propelling both my career and my team's performance forward.
What are you currently working on to level up your skills?