How To Thrive As A Young Leader

Arianna Huffington, of Huffington Post fame, knows a thing or two about thriving. This isn’t to say she learned the easy way.

No, not at all. Rather, she learned how to thrive as a leader because she ran headfirst into burnout and health problems. All caused by an improper workload.

In Thrive: The Third Metric To Redefining Success And Creating A Life Of Well-Being, Wisdom, And Wonder, Huffington shares what she believes will help you thrive in leadership and in life.

Learn to thrive as a young leader

What’s Good About Thrive?

There’s a lot of good content in the book Thrive. Huffington experienced a life-threatening condition all because she didn’t know how to balance life with work.

That’s why Thrive was written. Huffington wants everyone to know that you don’t have to crash and burn because of work. Rather, you can thrive.

Early on in Thrive, Huffington shares an excellent anecdote from her mother:

Leaders Are Called To Thrive

Thrive (verb) – grow vigorously; make steady progress.

A few years back, I found myself stuck in a rut. It wasn’t that I was living destructively, nor was I unhappy. But I was just drifting.

And the thing about drifting is we don’t just sit there, we go backward not forward.

Leaders are meant to thrive

Image by Andrew Storms

When you shut off the engine of a boat in the middle of a lake, the boat drifts – and it usually drifts away from your destination.

If we desire to lead effectively, then we need to be intentional about thriving.

Now thriving does not mean perfection; rather it involves movement and steady progress.

So what are some steps we can take to thrive:

1. Be a reader.

You’ve heard it said: if you’re not reading, you aren’t leading.