Taking things for granted is a commonality in today’s society. It is easy to get caught up in the fast paced nature of our current culture. We are all guilty, but is it costing you your leadership?

We want everything right now. In grocery stores, no one wants to wait in lines. We try to find the fast check out lane with the least amount of people in line. When it comes to dinning out, we expect our food to be served as quickly as possible and for it to have a great quality taste. We expect quick responses with our emails, texts, tweets, Facebook posts, Pinterest posts, etc. We expect people to drop what they are doing and answer our cell phone calls any time of the day.

Our expectations can be ridiculous at times. We are all guilty of these ludicrous expectations including myself.

There is nothing quick about growing your leadership. Unlike the “fast food” culture we are familiar with in the present day, leadership requires discipline and diligence.

Leadership is similar to gardening. As a child, our family had a garden. I remember the work involved in starting and maintaining our garden. Every member of the family had a responsibility with caring for our garden. My father and mother constantly monitored and tended to it. Whether my parents felt great or not, they knew the well being of our garden depended on us being able to nourish ourselves.

Our leadership is just as important as managing a garden, but it will take the same amount of work. There are three ways to make the most of your leadership and avoid attempting to fast track our leadership.

1. Look back and learn from the past. One of the only reasons I will suggest for you to look back is to learn from your past. We get so excited about leaving the past behind, we forget there are many lessons to learn from our past mistakes and failures.

2. Slow down and enjoy the present. We spoke earlier about the fast paced nature of our culture. With this busyness, it can be quite hard to slow down. Many people get caught up in past failures, which leave feelings of guilt and shame. You don’t have time to live in the past, rather make the best of the present and be the best leader right now.

3. Open your mind and see the future. Don’t get so focused on looking back or living in the present that you forget about investing in your future. It is impossible to see the future with a closed mind. Open your mind to change and let your leadership grow and mature.

The key to effective leadership is appreciating the past, present, and future. In order to do this, we have to de-clutter our minds and appreciate each of the phases aforementioned.

Don’t rush through life without meaning, take your time and let every phase of life teach you a valuable lesson.

Question: How are you making the most of your leadership?

Peace and Prosperity,

Bryant Hall

MTN Universal, LLC