Forbes interviewed top executives from all types of industries and found the following tips to increase your personal development.
1) Read a variety of books, listen to a variety of podcasts, use Google custom feed on your phone to bring articles of interest to you. Why? It turns out that learning new ideas and topics can increase your problem solving skills. In addition, when connecting with others, you may likely have something interest worthy that makes others have positive impressions on you.
2) One Forbes contributor said reflection was one of the most powerful ways to grow not only as person but in your workplace. A working paper by Francesca Gino and Gary Pisano of Harvard Business School, Giada Di Stefano of HEC Paris, and Bradley Staats of the University of North Carolina shows that reflecting on what you’ve done teaches you to do it better next time.
3) Have a vision and a major goal. How do you know where the dart is supposed to go if you have no bulls eye for it.? The downfall of many a failed CEO has also been attributed to his or her lack of vision. And in many cases, with 20-20 hindsight, it is easy to understand and sympathize with a leader’s vision.
4)Encourage curiosity. In the relationships and interactions with you have, inquire and ask questions. Make the conversation about other people. Think of people as interesting insights and perspectives on things where you can take in and make your own. From Harvard business: "Apply a beginner’s mind: Be open to and look for new and novel ways of doing things.Ask questions, listen and observe: Seek first to understand, not to explain.Try something new: Take a different route to work, read a book in a genre you usually avoid, go to an art gallery you wouldn’t normally go to. Each of these activities opens your mind to new points of view.Be inquisitive: Ask others their opinions, perspectives, and their approaches to certain things. Everyone does things a bit differently, and there are potential new answers and solutions to problems hidden in other people’s thinking."
5)Figure out how you are perceived by others. A truly difficult skill to do but the payoff is gold. You'll learn how to make yourself better. Pick five people at your work and ask to meet with them. You can let them know you're wanting to improve your perception and ask the following: What’s the general perception of me?What could I do differently that would have the greatest impact on my success?
6)Become self aware. Lifehacker says, "Learn to look at yourself objectively: It's nearly impossible to actually look at yourself objectively, but it's always worth a shot. As we've talked about before , the main idea here is to study and criticize your decisions. Even better, find some trustworthy friends to talk with and listen to their criticisms.Write your own manifesto: The main purpose of self-awareness is self-improvement, so it makes sense that you need to have goals. If you're struggling with that part, a manifesto is a great way to push yourself into figuring out what you want.Keep a journal: As Kahneman noted above, our memory colors the past pretty deeply. If you want a more accurate gauge of yourself, a journal is a great way to get it . A journal makes you more aware of what you're doing and where problems might be coming from because you can document anything. If you spend time documenting the little things, like food intake, water intake, or sleep, you might notice a larger trend that you can correct for. If you're looking for a deeper understanding of your decision making skills, Harvard Business Review suggests writing down what you think will happen with a decision, then wait nine or ten months and review what you wrote."
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