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Are you beginning to feel a sense of superiority over your colleagues or
your boss? Etc. This provides the foundation for beginning to work on
those areas where you know you are deficient. 313

The best way to develop as a leader is to learn by doing, such as taking a
course or leading a new project at work; doing something that will push
you out of your comfort zone. The leadership of an organization should
ensure that each individual in the organization has opportunities to
develop as a leader as part of employee development. Organizational
leaders should spend a lot of time concentrating on the best ways to

develop their people to their full potential. How this is most effectively
accomplished will depend on the unique talents, strengths, and
experiences of each individual.

One approach to self-development, besides the options previously

discussed, could be to trade a responsibility with a colleague. The added
bonus here is that you can serve as each other’s coach as you master the
new work. A second approach is to take on responsibilities that are
currently “falling through the cracks,” that is, work that would help your
group or the organization but no one is paying attention to it. One should
look for things that have become routine for top management, but would
be a stretch for staff. For example, starting a formal intern program for the

organization would demonstrate leadership. This could help an individual
staff member learn more about work processes throughout the
organization and hone his/her ability to spot and develop talent. A final
strategy could be to devote more time to an aspect of your job that could be
developmental if you spent more time focused on it, for example, coaching

employees or negotiating with vendors. Sometimes people avoid the parts
of their job that they aren’t good at—a sure strategy for not improving in
these areas.

Leadership capacity grows through challenges, both professional and
personal. Challenge at work comes from being stretched by the

assignment due to encountering new tasks, new responsibilities, increased
demands, or more complex situations. Support helps people deal with the

313
http://govleaders.org/failures.htm.
David Kolzow 292