Personal growth is essential in leadership. As the leader goes, so goes the church or organization.

Amazingly, Jesus — the Son of God — modeled growth better than anyone. Luke 2:40 says, “There Jesus grew up, maturing in physical strength and increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God rested on Him.” Verse 52 says, “And Jesus kept on growing — in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.”

Notice the “ing” in Jesus’ growth. It’s a present perfect progressive tense, describing an action with past, present and future implications. He was, is and will mature, increase and grow. Jesus exhibits an active posture of continual growth. If Jesus did this, how much more do we need to adopt the same kind of growth posture?

When we stop growing — especially in times of rapid change — we put a lid on our lives, leadership, and the ministry God has entrusted to us. As Eric Hoffer once observed, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

A posture of growth doesn’t have an expiration date, and it keeps you from becoming irrelevant in the context God has called you to serve.

When we stop growing — especially in times of rapid change — we put a lid on our lives, leadership, and the ministry God has entrusted to us.

Years ago, I discovered the indispensable role personal growth plays in effective leadership. I attended a conference where I was challenged to create a plan for personal growth … not once, but every year for the rest of my life.

Over time I came to realize that a good growth plan is personal and customized. It’s not a carbon copy of somebody else’s growth plan; instead, it’s designed with my growth needs in mind. That’s when I discovered that the best growth plan has four distinct characteristics that provide a TRAC to run on.

Target — A growth plan begins with a specific target. A target defines the outcome you hope to achieve. Most people don’t have a problem coming up with a target for their growth. For many people, it happens every January when they set New Year’s resolutions. To choose a target, answer the question, “What is my growth goal?”

Road Map — This is where growth often goes awry. We choose a growth target, but we don’t develop a road map to get there. A good road map includes things like training, resources, coaching and experiences. These are the tools that help you get from where you are to where you want to be. It’s the conferences you plan to attend, the books you plan to read, the mentors you plan to meet with, and the activities you plan to engage in. When you create a road map, answer the question, “How do I plan to grow?”  

Accountability — This is the hardest part of creating, and implementing, a growth TRAC. We all need somebody to hold our feet to the fire. We need someone to ask us the hard questions, hold us responsible for our growth, encourage us in the journey, and help us stay focused. For each growth target, you need somebody to help you stay the course. The question to answer is, “Who will hold me accountable for my growth?”

Check-Up — The final piece to a healthy growth TRAC is to include a process to evaluate progress. This “Check-Up” helps you measure results against the target you set for yourself. The question to answer is, “When and how will I evaluate my growth progress.”

To learn more about how to create a growth TRAC, check out this free resource. UCLA basketball coaching legend John Wooden once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” A solid growth TRAC will help you keep learning, growing and moving forward.