Personal Growth Can Lead to Team Success

In this edition of Engage Employee, I’d like to explore how our own personal growth can lead to the overall success of ourselves, our teams, and our companies. At business school there is always much discussion about the need to do everything from competitor analysis to brand analysis. It’s true that analysis is an important tool in determining the type of products and services customers want, and in order to find a unique selling proposition, there is a need for a degree of analysis about our competitors’ offerings and what makes them attractive. However, what we shouldn’t get bogged down in is over analysis, and perhaps even envy.

Rediscover wisdom

So, Rabbi Joel Stein, a prominent figure and bestselling author, encourages us all to rediscover our own wisdom through positive self-reflection. His guest article, ‘Rediscover Your Wisdom: Finding Your Journey to Success,’ he appeals to us to avoid getting obsessed with the “glossy exterior we perceive” of others, which “may mask a reality far different from our assumptions.”

He adds: “Behind every facade of success lies a story of resilience, perseverance, and, yes, occasional failure. By acknowledging the complexity of others' journeys, we cultivate empathy and understanding, fostering connection rather than comparison.”

Introspect but act

There’s little point in concentrating on the question of: “A competitor has this, but why haven’t we?” Or the question of: “Jo got a promotion, but why haven’t I?” Certainly, ask questions, but with questions comes the need for taking responsibility and action to achieve goals and objectives. Feeling aggrieved that someone or another company has what you don’t have, and concentrating on that, won’t drive success. It may be in what you have and what they don’t have.

Rabbi Stein therefore concludes by suggesting that we should embrace our unique journeys, celebrate our successes, and uplift one another as we strive to create lives of purpose, passion, and fulfilment. But how do you think this ethos can enhance ourselves as individuals and as competing companies? To be able to help others, arguably we need to know ourselves first. That rule also applies to the strengths and weaknesses of our teams, and our companies. So CPD should not just be about professional development, but also ongoing personal development.

Please send me your thoughts by contributing an article. Meanwhile, learn more about “how to amplify resilience, creativity and growth,’ by reading Stein’s through-provoking article. After all, jealous and envy won’t driver personal nor corporate growth and success.

By Graham Jarvis, Editor