Leadership development doesn’t happen overnight, it’s developed over a lifetime. Let that sink in. It’s easy to be misled when you see the success of someone today, not knowing what they went through yesterday. That’s because leadership is a daily process, it’s not accomplished in a day.

Many of us are guilty of rushing the process. I know I am guilty of wanting tomorrow’s results today, without going through yesterday’s grind to get there. Are you guilty of rushing the leadership process?

Overnight Success

There are no shortcuts in leadership. You have to put in the work to reap the success. You have to be willing to invest in yourself if you desire to add value to others.

It takes time, to grow as a leader. Unfortunately, most people aren’t willing to go through the process but still want instant results.

It’s important to understand that overnight success doesn’t happen overnight. Overnight success is the result of intentional daily grind.

Want to be a great leader? You have to be willing to sacrifice, commit and invest the time and effort it will take to develop as a leader.  If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.

I want to share with you three concepts to help you embrace the process as you grow as a leader. As the saying goes, you have to pay the cost to be the boss. What you do on a consistent and disciplined basis will lead to your success.

Slow Cook

The problem today is that too many leaders want to be microwaved and not slowed cooked. Leadership development is more like a crock pot than a microwave.

You have to be willing to marinate today so you can sizzle tomorrow. The longer you develop, the more prepared you will be to lead. A great leader is never done developing. You’re always looking for ways to get better.

Recently my wife purchased a Kitchen Aid Classic Mixer for my Anniversary present, to satisfy my new baking hobby. I’ve gotten pretty good at baking cakes but I didn’t start off that way. I had a tendency of taking the cake out before it was done baking (rushing).

If you have baked a cake before, you know that to test and see if it’s ready you stick a fork in it. It smelled ready, it even looked ready but it wasn’t. That’s because you can look like your ready on the outside but on the inside your not.

You don’t want to be taken out of the oven to early. When those you lead stick you with their forks, you want to make sure that what comes out of you adds value and doesn’t cause a mess.

Law of Process

In his best-selling book, “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership“, John Maxwell in The Law of Process states, “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.” He observed that “Champions don’t become champions in the ring, they are merely recognized there.”

Your daily routine, daily preparations will reveal if you are rushing the leadership process. You can have all the talent and potential in the world but if you cheat the process in the dark, you will get exposed under the lights.

When your time comes, you have to be ready to lead. Continuously commit to investing in your learning. A leaders learning never ends, it’s an ongoing process. Strive to get better each day.

Seed Time Harvest

I’m a systems guy and God has given us the seed time & harvest system that produces (Gen 8:22). A seed is designed to multiply, the harvest is always greater than the seed & there is no harvest without a seed.

I’m not just talking about corn, apples & watermelons. This applies to leadership as well. A farmer doesn’t sow a seed and reap his harvest the next day; it takes time then the harvest. As a leader, you sow seeds of sacrifices today so in time you can reap harvests of success tomorrow.

It takes a long period of time to lead well. You must be faithful in your daily interactions with those you lead and investing daily in yourself. Patience is a virtue, don’t rush the seeds you have sown.

Self-discipline and perseverance are qualities you will have to sow to resist the urge to rush the process. Your harvest is waiting on the other side of the time it will require for you to develop, prepare, train, and mature into the leader you are called to be.

Remember there are no shortcuts to leadership. A leader is in it for the long haul, not shortcuts. The longer you develop in the leadership crock pot the more prepared you will be to lead. Leadership develops daily, not in a day.

Trust the process, invest in yourself and sow seeds of sacrifice today to reap success tomorrow. Leadership doesn’t develop overnight. It’s developed throughout life. Enjoy the journey!

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Do you struggle with rushing your leadership development?