Taking leadership on personal development: Go for a run
Good intentions
I have decided to run a half marathon for the first time in the spring of 2024. Not particularly special you can say, because plenty of people do that. It is not just a resolution taken on the threshold of the new year with a glass of champagne in hand. I am progressing well in the training program. We often make resolutions that don’t go beyond good intentions. We want something or we think we want something to further develop ourselves, however we often don't get it done. The cause of this lies in your environment or yourself. So much for stating the obvious. But how are you going to initiate that personal development?
Taking time for personal development
The organization where you work is part of your professional environment. There are probably training opportunities available and even a personal development plan may be drawn up. There is often a certain budget available to spend on training for which your request is rejected or granted. Suppose you are allowed to do that training, can you actually spend the required time on it? Because there is also work that needs to be done. Frank Oeben has shared a nice insight on this [sorry only in Dutch language]: “Tijd hebben en nemen voor persoonlijke ontwikkeling”.
Choose personal leadership
Then let's talk about your own motivation to develop yourself. Resolutions that do not achieve a desired result are probably not relevant resolutions for your personal development. Due to external influences, there may be intentions in your personal development plan for which you cannot muster motivation. It is therefore important to reach your self-chosen intentions. This way you take leadership over your personal development. Then it will be fun and probably successful. The Agile Leiderschap Canvas can help you set relevant development goals for yourself. This is not just about deciding which training you want to follow, but about developing competencies and behavior.
Half marathon
Last summer I created space to think about what I wanted to put on my personal development backlog. In addition to a number of work-related developments, endurance running was also introduced as a sporting activity in the mix of work and relaxation. For me, that half marathon has become a metaphor for taking time and space for personal development. Making relevant intentions, setting achievable goals and actually implementing the development. When that first half marathon is over, I will look back on the result and on the way I have achieved that. I will then bring these insights to the next moment when I create a new personal development backlog.
My personal manifesto includes: “Go for a run”. Wish me a lot of fun.
