You’re further ahead than you think

One of the many moments I love in leadership programs is watching someone realise how far they have come.

It often happens while listening to someone else.

I was facilitating an Emerging Leaders program when the discussion turned to confidence, leadership growth and the challenges people experience as they step into bigger roles. As participants shared their experiences, one person found herself listening closely to another participant describe a challenge she knew well.

She recognised it immediately because she had experienced it herself a few years earlier. As the conversation continued, she began reflecting on how differently she approached similar situations today. The uncertainty that once occupied so much of her thinking had gradually faded into the background, and situations that once felt uncomfortable had become part of her normal way of working.

It reminded me of something I see often with leaders. They are usually very aware of what they still need to learn, improve or develop. What often receives far less attention is how much progress they have already made.

Growth is often measured in the wrong places

Many people associate growth with visible milestones. A promotion, a new role or a significant achievement provides clear evidence that progress has occurred.

Yet some of the most meaningful development is much harder to measure.

Psychologist Carol Dweck, whose research on growth mindset has influenced how we think about learning and development, argues that our abilities are not fixed. They evolve through experience, effort and learning over time.

That growth often becomes visible in subtle ways. We handle situations differently. We recover more quickly from setbacks. We contribute with greater confidence in environments that once felt intimidating. We make decisions faster because we trust our judgement. We navigate difficult conversations with greater ease.

The participant in that program hadn’t received a promotion or reached a major milestone that day. What she gained was something different. She was reminded that she had already developed capabilities she no longer consciously noticed because they had become part of her normal way of operating.

I think that is true for many leaders. Career milestones are easy to point to because they are visible and easy to measure. Internal growth is different. It is reflected in our judgement, confidence and ability to navigate challenges that once felt far more difficult.

Often, we don’t recognise those shifts until something brings them back into focus.

Looking back can be useful too

The participant in that program arrived focused on what she still wanted to improve. By the end of the conversation, she had been reminded of how much progress she had already made.

I think many leaders would benefit from creating more opportunities to notice their own growth. One simple way to do that is through journaling.

When we write regularly about challenges, decisions and experiences, we create a record of how we were thinking at a particular point in time. Looking back months or years later can be surprisingly revealing. What felt overwhelming at the time often looks very different in hindsight, providing a useful reminder of how much progress has happened along the way.

The participant didn’t discover her growth through a promotion, a performance review or a major achievement. She discovered it by listening to someone describe a challenge she used to have herself.

Looking back at old journal entries can serve a similar purpose. They allow us to revisit an earlier version of ourselves and see how far our thinking, confidence and perspective have evolved over time.

Sometimes growth becomes visible when we stop focusing on who we are trying to become and take a moment to notice how different we are from who we used to be.

You may be further ahead than you think.