“I’m still under construction.”
That’s what Eric Dane said in his poignant final interview. Since watching the interview, I’ve thought deeply about that concept and about his thoughts on continuous improvement.
Most of us recognize that humans aren’t perfect, and we often talk about learning and growth. And yet, recognizing our potential, and even taking a leadership development course, don’t in themselves create meaningful change. Change requires acknowledgement, commitment, and then actually doing the work.
We may notice skills we want to develop. We may recognize habits we want to shift. We may even envision the leader, colleague, or partner we hope to become. And yet, it isn’t the insight or intention that creates change.
Growth comes from identifying areas for improvement, learning new skills, and then practicing those different behaviors. It comes from choosing, again and again, to engage in the often challenging and uncomfortable work of improving, making mistakes, and trying again.
Recognizing our growth edges is a great starting point.
Real progress comes from doing the “construction” work that follows.