With the world changing each year at an increasingly faster pace, there are times when many of us think and feel as if we are treading water and are not learning new behaviors to increase our leadership effectiveness. When we look back over the past year at our accomplishments, we can't clearly define what behaviors, skills, knowledge, and traits have helped us achieve our goals.

One key trait extraordinary leaders have is the desire and ability to continuously improve and learn, allowing them to adjust to the changing global economy. Learning for them is ongoing and incremental. Sometimes our behavioral learning is so slight that we really have to carefully investigate what we have truly learned.

Why Should You Journal?

A learning journal, when implemented on a consistent daily basis, can help you capture your learning by creating a time to be self-reflective of each day's experiences. However small and seemingly unimportant these experiences are, these experiences can connect you to a specific learning that took place. These experiences can also make you aware of your learning by knowing that at the end of a day you will take time and energy to add to your learning journal.

By writing down and tracking your progress, you are able to review your progress at any point in time. Journaling is a great tool when you may be questioning your learning progression. Journaling can not only help you focus on your strengths, but can also help you determine what limitations you are currently working on that can have a positive impact on your overall performance. As a result, you will begin to see trends on how you best learn and develop so you can incorporate the right learning opportunities into your day.

As the days, weeks, and months of journaling come together you will be able to identify behaviors in your work performance and personal life that work and don't work for you. As your capacity builds, you will be able to take on new and bigger challenges which provide the development situations you need to increase your leadership effectiveness. Read more...