I believe we should be working to improve the gifts and talents entrusted to us. Whilst experience will help us learn lessons on how to use these gifts and occasional ‘wins’ may help develop our confidence, it is probable that the passage of time can also allow bad habits to grow without being addressed. Experience is invaluable but I believe we need more than experience if we are to fulfil our full potential.

If we are serious about improving what we do then we need to be intentional. Here are some ways that I seek to be intentional about improving how I do what God has called me to do.

Make a plan

There is an old saying that says ‘If you fail to plan then you will plan to fail’. There are a few ways I make plans:

• I create action points in my journal after reflection and prayer

• I feel prompted by the Holy Spirit with strategies

• I chew something over with team

• I use a Personal Development Plan (PDP)

A PDP is a simple form that allows me to highlight i) the areas I want to improve and ii) what suitable strategy do I need to put in place to practically do this. We have now rolled this out to our staff and interns as a way of helping each to strategise their growth. For further details of PDP’s and to look at a sample template then click this button:

Get other peoples perspective

When there is a traffic accident, investigators will seek multiple witness accounts because different people can see the same thing differently. Different observations don’t mean that one witness was right and the others were wrong – it just means they have seen things differently from others and added an alternative perspective.

I value alternative perspectives and while it would be wonderful if I could see the whole picture and have the perfect perspective on all matters, the reality is that I don’t – that is true of not only what is around me, but also who I am and what I do.

It is becoming more common to swallow one’s pride and invite other people to share their perspective about us. One way of doing this is inviting some trusted people to conduct a 360 review – we did this with our senior leadership team fairly recently and found it really helpful. We simply created a google document where each of us answered some questions about each other and we could all see the answers given about each other. We asked the following questions:

• What do I do well and should do more?

• What do I do that sometimes causes challenges or concerns and I should consider doing less?

• What one thing would you recommend I do to grow?

Simple questions like these, asked from an open (non-defensive) heart to a trusted person or persons, can be very revealing. If there are any issues of poor trust within your team or political agendas present then this would probably be unhelpful – but finding some people you do trust and asking them to honestly answer these questions about you could be very helpful if you want to improve.

Read and research

“Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet” Charlie Jones

Going into a library or bookstore is like walking into a stadium filled with some of the greatest experts on the planet and being invited to sit with one of your choice to hear their thoughts and ideas. Books can be such a rich source of inspiration, provocation and wisdom.

I’ve not always enjoyed reading but I remember hearing someone once say ‘leaders are readers’ – and as I wanted to be a good leader, I knew I had to develop to be a good reader. I now read lots of books each year and they have been an important part of my journey. I don’t always remember their content but there again I don’t always remember meals I’ve eaten 🙂 – but remembered or not, both have helped me grow.

I encourage you to start reading. If you find it difficult then do it in small steps. I usually have around 4 books on the go at one time – if one feels a bit laborious then I take a break and go to one of the others and return to the other at a later point. I encourage you to create a reading wish list, pick up a book (or listen to it on audio) and let the ideas of the authors leap off the page and shape you.

Invite coaching from others

I recently drove over 10 hours in one day to meet with someone I love and respect to take me through a communication masterclass session. I’ve been preaching for years and have lots of experience but I want to improve. I highlighted this some months ago in my PDP and part of my action plan was to look for someone to help coach me. Now I was sat in a room with this brilliant leader forensically watching a number of videos of sermons I’ve preached, making studious notes and making observations. I said to him ‘I didn’t come all this way for you to be nice so please be honest’. I felt vulnerable saying that but I really want to improve and to do so I need to know what needs pruning as well as what needs feeding. He was brilliant, affirming things he thought I did well, helping me understand my strengths and challenging me over a number of areas that I need to review and cut out. Find someone ahead of you who can help coach you to improvement – swallow your pride and open your heart – it will be worth it!

Don’t Settle for Average

I believe that improvement is an aspect of stewardship. When we seek to improve the ‘talent’ with which we have been entrusted, we have more to be able to put to work for Gods glory. If we’re not intentional about this growth then we will plateau short of our potential – but if we are continually intentional about improving then we may continue to be surprised by how much untaped growth potential there is within us. So why don’t you:

1. Make a plan (consider completing a PDP)

2. Invite other people’s perspectives

3. Read more

4. Invite coaching input from others