Always Be Learning
Over the past 5 years, I’ve been facilitating leadership groups, now referred to as ABL Groups (Always Be Learning).
My “why” behind my work is to develop healthy, high-performing teams, and the most effective way to do this is to start by developing healthy leaders. That in turn is the purpose behind ABL…to develop leaders with the skill set, tools, and desire to lead in the right way.
Each of our four ABL groups has 4-5 members where they openly and confidentially discuss various topics from leadership and personal effectiveness to the challenges and frustrations they are facing. These groups have become part learning and part support and counseling. And we get it done all before 8:30 in the morning!
In years past, we would go through a book together (view list), but in 2024 I’m doing a reboot and changing the format. Instead of having a “required” book to read each month, we will focus on a topic applicable to the group members’ leadership journeys. Each topic will require reviewing short-form content (blogs, articles, podcasts) and/or completing related “homework.”
We started in January with each person coming to the meeting with:
their Big 3 for 2024 (Their absolute 3 most important priorities in 2024 in rank order. On 12/31/24 looking back at the year, what are the 3 things they would need to accomplish to know they crushed it?)
1 - 3 measurables for each goal
a list of their unique abilities (What is the unique way they approach what they do when they’re living and working at their best? What makes them stand out? What are the areas that they believe they are both passionate about and proficient in…aka their flow zone?)
a purge list (What they are going to stop doing or what they are giving up in 2024.)
a list of habits (Daily / weekly rituals they’re committing to.)
The discussions have been rich, candid, and encouraging. My hope is that as each ABL member becomes a healthier leader it will spread across their companies and networks, which in turn leads to higher performing companies, stronger teams, and even a more vibrant economy in Birmingham and beyond.
You can't have healthy companies without healthy teams and you can't have healthy teams without healthy leaders.
#ThinkBig #LongGame #Leadership #ContinuousLearning