Orrin, I couldn't agree more with this post! I committed a quote to memory I read from John Wooden. He said: "when you are through learning, you are through!" I thought that quote was a great growth reminder for me to always stay committed to becoming a better leader. I have said this before and I will say it again: As leaders our effectiveness is tied dependently to our continued growth. Because you cannot give what you do not have. You see in order for us to stay relevant in our leadership we need to be growth-oriented, not necesarrily goal-oriented. To explain why growth is so important and is tied dependently to your effectiveness as a leader I would like to draw your attention to the law of the lid. One of the concepts John Maxwell teaches in his book, 21 Irrefutible Laws of Leadership is the "Law of the Lid." It states: "Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness." The lower a person’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his leadership ability, and the lower his effectiveness. On the contrary, the higher the leadership ability, the greater the effectiveness. Your leadership ability always determines your effectiveness. Thus, for a leader, their leadership ability determines the effectiveness of his organization. If his or her leadership is strong, his lid is high and his organization functions well. But if his leadership is weak, then the organization is limited. For example let's say your leadership ability is a "6." Well that means you can only attract "5's" and "4's" to your organizations. Leaders that are 9s and 10s don't follow 4, 5, or 6's. Through continued growth however you can increase your leadership ability from a 6 to a 9. When that happens you attract the 9s and 10s. So your continued growth is tied directly to your growth and effectiveness!! Remember this principle: You Attract Who You Are, Not Who You Want!!! Big Leaders attract Big Leaders. Small Leaders attract Small Leaders. A few weeks ago I also posted the fact that their are 3 types of learners, which I think is very relevant to bring back up for this discussion: 1. Arrogant Learners - people that think they know it all 2. Naive Learners - they think one person can teach them everything 3. Teachable Learners - no matter their position in life they believe anyone that they come in contact with has the ability to teach them something. If we are committed to being a life long learner than we have to be teachable learners. As leaders we have to LET GROWTH BE OUR PROMOTER!!! Don't rely on office politics, family connections, personal friendships or sheer luck to move you to the next level--let growth be your champion and your ultimate promoter. Let me give you an example that I think will help tie the thought of "Letting Growth Be Our Promoter" all together: About 5 months or so ago I had a lot of people/friends/family (Just as many of you did:) ask me questions about the controversy regarding a business I was affiliated with. They would ask me questions like: "Are you going to start another business?" Additionally, at the same time I just started working on a leadership book and I had people ask me: "How many books do you plan on writing?" My answer to both of those questions was very simple. I said "I don't know, but I am still growing. That is the one thing I know for sure I will continue doing is growing!" You see, the only ace we hold in our hand isn't what we've done, where we are, who we are or the positions we hold. It's growth! If we keep growing, we will be prepared for any opportunity that comes our way! Personally speaking I don't need a list of career goals to keep me moving forward; I just need to keep growing. That's because my goals do not insure my future--my growth does!!! I am so proud to be affiliated with this group of people that are committed to growth! Thanks Orrin! Best, Matt