Leaders my Leaders, welcome back!
So how do we recognize immaturity? What does maturity look like for that matter? How do we know that we’re on a path that leads to wisdom and inner peace? For the next three weeks we are going to answer those questions. There are common traits that immature people share. Their emotional growth is stunted, and their behavior is stuck at an earlier developmental level. I refer to this as the arm-fart stage of development. Junior high cafeteria level. Funny perhaps, when you’re 12. Sad and pathetic when you’re 42. Mature people have traits in common that set them apart in a powerfully positive way. If you want to increase the power of your leadership, then developing as many traits on the list as possible, is the most effective way to accomplish that goal. Keep in mind that no one is perfect. We are all a work in progress. None of us will have all of the traits we’ll cover in the next 3 weeks. None of us will perfectly utilize the traits we do have in every single circumstance every single time. The key is to consciously choose to do as well as we can as often as we possibly can, and be intentional about having a positive impact on ourselves, our team, our organization, our families, and our communities. Yep, it’s a huge job. But it is an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience to develop these traits and see the sometimes life-transforming benefits they create in our lives and the lives of those around us. Here’s part one of the list:
| TRAITS OF AN
IMMATURE PERSON |
TRAITS OF A
MATURE PERSON |
| Highly disrespectful, strips people of their dignity | Treats others with dignity and respect |
| Reacts, at the mercy of every changing circumstance | Responds from a values based place that dictates how they choose to act regardless of the circumstances |
| Shows off to impress others, whether it is bragging about what they have, or treating others poorly to gain social capital | Reaches out to authentically connect with other people |
| Ridicules others | Protects others |
| Sacrifices others for personal gain | Makes strategic sacrifices that advance the common good |
| Arrogant | Humble |
| Believes everyone thinks just like they do | Realizes the world is a big place with a vast diversity of beliefs |
| Worldview restricted to their personal opinion, they are closed minded | Open minded and their worldview continually expands as they meet new people and have new experiences |
| Revengeful, holds grudges, punishes people | Stands up for themselves but don’t seek vengeance |
| Drives wedges between people | Builds bridges between people |
| Lies, cheats, and/or steals | Acts with honesty and integrity |
| Feels entitled | Believes they need to earn what they get |
| Shirks responsibility | Embraces responsibility, even in the tough times |
Until next time, beloved leaders, take good care of yourself and your team!