Learning From a Different Place – Part 3
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

Last week I wrote about The Law of Influence and how my perspective changed by living out that law for 10 years. Today I want to take a look at law number three, The Law of Process.

We live in a world of instant gratification. When we are sick, we want a medication that works immediately, not in two to three days. When we order something online, we want it within a day or two at the latest. If it doesn’t arrive, we are frustrated and wonder what went wrong. We also know that quick fixes rarely work. If you want to get in shape, you need to exercise. Muscles don’t just strengthen on their own. It takes time and effort.

The subtitle for The Law of Process reads, “Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day.” Growing in leadership is a process, not an event. You don’t simply take a course, pass a test, and off you go as a fantastic leader. You need to follow a process of daily learning and actions that, over time, reveal growth. John Maxwell suggests that there are five phases of Leadership Growth:

• Phase 1: I don’t know what I don’t know
• Phase 2: I know what I need to know
• Phase 3: I know what I don’t know
• Phase 4: I know and grow and its starts to show
• Phase 5: I simply go because of what I know

When I started my journey of learning The 21 Laws, my view of The Law of Process meant that there was a process I needed to follow, and if I did, results would follow, people would notice, and I would become a better leader. This was all true, and the results of the last decade reflect it. What is different now is that I love the process. No longer is it something I am doing to get to a specific destination. Now the process is an exciting part of my life. I love learning about leadership, talking with people about leadership, and thinking about leadership. Just as the Law of the Lid went from “how long will this take?” to “how far can I go?,” The Law of Process went from a purposeful action to a new way of life.

I have been asked in the past if I get tired of always trying to learn, and my answer is always the same, not at all. It’s exhilarating. It really doesn’t matter what I am learning. Most of the time, it is leadership-related, but it could be how to apply varnish better on my old boat or what fishing lure works best in weeds. When I stop learning, I get run down and very tired. As soon as I start researching something again, my energy is back. For me, this is an extra bonus from The Law of Process.

What will you be learning next?