October 2, 2023
Part 1
In September, I attended a three-day Breakthrough Business Mastery bootcamp hosted by the Denver business coach Gary Barnes. On the first day he said, “99% of your current results are on purpose, either subconsciously or consciously.” Gary also asked, “Are you a participant or a spectator?”
Fourth quarter of 2023
As we move into October and the final quarter of 2023, what have you done to further yourself personally and professionally in the last nine months? Did you start the year with good intentions to develop? Did you commit to reading more books and professional articles, or listening to audiobooks? Did you start or continue to listen to podcasts? How many seminars or classes have you attended this year?
Intentions are great, but unless they translate into actions, intentions are nothing more than empty promises we make to ourselves. Remember Gary’s question, “Are you a participant or a spectator?”
If you are actively working on your development, that’s great and I encourage you to keep at it. If you have not done anything to grow and develop this year, then do not wait until January 2024 to start.
There are still three months remaining in 2023 to plan, engage, act, and work on yourself. Yes, work. Personal and professional development requires a commitment on our part, it requires effort on our part, and it requires a willingness to change.
“Are you a participant or a spectator?”
In my book The Furnace of Leadership Development, I wrote, “In order to develop as leaders, we must map the route and not rely on someone else to drive us to the destination. You must put forth the time and effort to design a realistic plan.”
That is right: you must be a participant and not a spectator. Moving beyond intention means having a bias for action and taking the initiative on your own without having someone else telling you to get your rear in gear.
Who or what are you waiting for?
Below are some excuses I have heard firefighters say when it comes to personal and professional development:
- “I’m waiting until I decide to promote.”
- “I’ve been to a state sponsored officer certification course, and I don’t need anything else.”
- “Am I going to get paid overtime if I do something on my own and is the department going to pay for it?”
Take command of your career development
It is your responsibility to take command of your career development. Visit my website at Tailboard Talks – Fire Officer Leadership Academy to learn more about how you can do this or write to me at [email protected].
©2023 Rick Davis. Artificial intelligence (AI) WAS NOT used to generate this content.
