Today I’m thinking about our growth and development, it’s an area I’ve worked in for year and a passion I’ve always had. I believe we can be both improving and learning as well as being amazing and brilliant – all at once. It’s this concept that Buddhists talk of in the beginner’s mind. Approaching everything with a curiosity that we’re here to learn even if we’ve done it before because the reality is we’re always learning, there’s always growth.

Ako is a traditional Māori practice that means both 'to learn' and 'to teach' and I think that sums it up perfectly.

Even as teachers we’re always learning and I love this concept of continuous learning, that we never know it all and that life itself is a constant navigation of learning and often teaching others at the same time we’re learning ourselves.

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it and I’ve certainly found that when embarking on book projects. Teaching this stuff to others helps immerse myself in it in a way that furthers my own learning and understanding in a new way. We so often learn by teaching and yet at the same time are also still learning whilst we teach!

We can put so much pressure on ourselves to know all the answers or be the expert and it can be uncomfortable to sit in this place of learning, of not knowing. But it’s this open and curious mind that keeps us developing and growing and helps us achieve our potential.

We’ve all come so far, just in the last year but especially the last ten. What will that be like in the next ten? The opportunity is endless with this notion of being both the teacher and learner all at once.

It’s this concept of improving ourselves rather than trying to prove ourselves. That we’re learning and growing not trying to validate or prove we’re good enough.

If you’re looking for support on the leadership journey why not check out our monthly membership here