

What are leadership tips from those who succeed in the workplace? They must be must be innovative. Adaptable. Able to change quickly.
You knew that, right?
It’s not an option these days.
It’s mandatory just to keep up with the pace of change. We can wish for days gone by, but to keep up, leaders will have to stretch themselves and work smarter.
In fact, when hiring decisions are made these days, most leaders I know (including me) look for these abilities as much as, if not more than, experience or education. We need generalists who can fill a plethora of responsibilities. If you can’t keep up with the speed of change and adapt accordingly, you’ll have a harder time advancing in your career in the future.
How can a leader keep up? What can you do?’
I am constantly learning how personally, but I have always been conscious of my own need to continue growing as a leader, so I’m sharing from my experience and some of what works for me.
Here Are Seven Ways to Stretch Yourself:
1. Read something different from what you normally read. If you love to read history, occasionally read a book of fiction. Pick up a tech magazine, even if you’re far from being a techie. Read the comics or the opinion page or a biography—whatever is something different from what you usually read.
2. Hang out with people not like you. One of my favorite ways to stretch myself has been to surround myself with many different personalities and interests among my friendships. I am introverted. I have some very extroverted friends.
I’m not usually loud in a crowd—and a few of my close friends are always the life of the party. I’m conservative. I have some very liberal friends. Honestly, it’s sometimes more comfortable to only hang out with people who think like me, but I realize I’m missing opportunities to grow when I do.
3. Move forward on something with uncertainty. This will be a challenge for some of you reading this. For others, it’s easy. It comes fairly easy for me. But the fact is, rarely will we have all the answers when making decisions. That eliminates faith when we do, by the way. Take a new risk on something. It’s the surest way to stretch yourself.
4. Attempt something you’ve never done. That goes with taking a risk, but not only something that you consider “risky”—try to do something beyond what you think you can do. Take a college class, even though you’ve been out of school for years. Learn a language or to play an instrument.