Three Minute Leadership: The Spirit of Continuing Self-Renewal

To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

“This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life – investment in ourselves, in the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to contribute.” writes Stephen Covey. His words tell great leaders of the continued need for self-renewal in their life. “Renewal,” he writes, “requires opening yourself up to new ways of thinking and feeling.” It is about continually seeing the world through different eyes, pursuing and being open to change and letting go of ideas and beliefs that hold us back.

Frank Lloyd Wright once quipped: “An expert is a man who has stopped thinking because ‘he knows.’” Knowing the answers can be the biggest impediment to self-renewal because we start to automatically apply the same rules and engage in the same behaviors which inevitably lead to rigidity. Great leaders’ lives are filled with endless curiosity and, borrowing from an IBM saying, “a spirit of endless reinvention.” May you fill your days and life with this spirit of continuing self-renewal. As you do, remember always Lao Tzu’s wise counsel: “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

Mike

• ← Three Minute Leadership: Finding Life’s Purpose
• Three Minute Leadership: Navigating Your Life Journey →