Like many people, I like to take time at the beginning of each new year to reflect on the ways that I would like to grow and develop over the course of the following twelve months.  In doing so, I’ve been inspired and challenged by this particular quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes:

The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.

This quote inspires and reminds me that it’s possible to keep growing and expanding my mind to new, larger and more creative ideas.  This also challenges me because I realise it takes discipline and intentionality to enlarge my mind; it doesn’t just happen.

As leaders – and as people who want to make a contribution to this world – it’s so vital that we keep growing and not stagnate in our thinking; not so that we can give ourselves a big tick or list another thing on our resume, but because other people are actually depending on us to keep growing.  I laughed at the corniness of the phrase ‘leaders are readers’ the first time I heard it, but I have to say it’s stayed with me and I’ve discovered it’s truth!  Through reading widely, it’s possible for us enlarge our minds with new ideas and therefore grow our influence and effectiveness over time.

So do yourself and the people you lead a favour:  join your local library or start a book club, search online for inspirational biographies and force yourself to read outside your normal genres.  Your next big, creative idea might just be waiting in those pages for you to discover!