The 60-Day Growth Plan: A Leader's Roadmap from Intention to Impact

By Jim | Investor-Focused Property Manager | STR & LTR Specialist

Most people think growth just happens. They watch the calendar, put in the hours, and assume that time alone will move them forward. But I've learned — the hard way and through the wisdom of mentors like John C. Maxwell — that growth doesn't happen to you. You happen to growth.

Maxwell puts it simply: "Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow is going to get better."

I've built my career around that truth. Whether I'm managing a portfolio of single-family homes in the Greater Orlando market, helping an investor evaluate a new acquisition, or developing the next generation of property management professionals, one thing remains constant — the leaders who grow intentionally are the ones who create lasting results.

That's why I want to share this 60-Day Growth Plan with you. It's practical. It's personal. And if you take it seriously, it will change how you lead, invest, and show up for the people counting on you.

Let's get into it.

Before You Begin: Two Questions That Matter

Before Day 1, sit with these:

• What keeps you from being authentic with others?
• What barriers — fears, beliefs, past experiences — do you still carry?

These aren't warm-up questions. They're the foundation. If you can't be honest with yourself, no growth plan in the world will move you. Write your answers down. Better yet, share them with a mentor or accountability partner. A shared commitment becomes a strong commitment.

The Framework: Three Axes of Growth

Every section of this plan is built around three questions Maxwell calls the axes of growth:

1. Where am I? (Assessment)
2. Where am I going? (Ambition)
3. How will I get there? (Advancement)

You'll develop your plan across two tracks — an area of choice (mindset, attitude, values, faith) and an area of skill (a professional or technical discipline). Both matter. Neither is optional.

Days 1–5: The Law of Intentionality — Growth Doesn't Just Happen

Change is automatic. Growth is intentional. Those two things are not the same.

In real estate, I see this all the time. The market changes. Rents shift. Regulations evolve. Investor expectations rise. Change is constant. But the property managers and investors who grow through those changes are the ones who planned for them.

Your challenge for Days 1–5: Map out your week and count how many decisions you make intentionally versus reactively. How many choices are the result of a clear strategy? How many are just responses to what's in front of you?

Reflection: Where in your business or personal life have you been coasting on change instead of leading through growth?

Days 6–10: The Law of Awareness — You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself

Great leaders are ruthlessly honest about their strengths and weaknesses. Maxwell warns us to watch out for four common distortions:

• Rose-colored glasses — seeing only potential, never problems
• Half-empty thinking — defaulting to pessimism
• Atlas mentality — carrying every burden alone
• Victim mentality — believing you're powerless to change outcomes

I've been guilty of the Atlas mentality. In property management, there's always more to carry. But real growth means knowing when to delegate, when to ask for help, and when your blind spots are costing you and your team.

Your challenge for Days 6–10: Write an honest list of your top 3 strengths and top 3 weaknesses as a leader. Then ask someone who knows you well to add to the list. You might be surprised what they see.

Reflection: Which distortion do you default to most? What would it look like to lead without it?

Days 11–15: The Law of the Mirror — You Determine Your Own Investment

How you see yourself determines how you invest in yourself.

Maxwell says your life is a story that others are reading. If you don't see yourself as the hero of that story — not arrogant, but capable and worthy of growth — you won't invest in yourself the way a leader needs to.

In real estate investing and in property management, I've watched people undersell themselves repeatedly. They won't pursue the credential. They won't make the call. They won't ask for the deal. Not because they lack the skill — but because they haven't bet on themselves.

Your challenge for Days 11–15: On a scale of 1–10, rate your self-image and your self-investment. If there's a gap between those two numbers, that gap is your work. What's one bold investment you can make in yourself this month?

Reflection: When was the last time you truly bet on yourself? What were the results?

Days 16–20: The Law of Curiosity — Growth Is Driven by Wanting to Learn More

Curious leaders ask why. Fixed-minded leaders would rather not know — because knowing brings the burden of doing.

The best investors I've worked with are relentless learners. They study markets. They ask questions during walkthroughs that others skip. They want to understand what they don't understand. Curiosity is the precursor to action, and action is the precursor to results.

Your challenge for Days 16–20: Pick one topic in your area of professional growth that you've been meaning to dig into and actually dig in. Read an article. Listen to a podcast. Call someone who knows more than you. Start a conversation you've been putting off.

Reflection: Who in your network is naturally curious? What can you learn from how they approach their work?

Days 21–25: The Law of Modeling — Find an Example. Become One.

It's hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.

The mentor-mentee relationship is one of the most powerful accelerators in any leader's growth. But Maxwell flips the script: even if you haven't found your mentor yet, you can become a mentor. And sometimes, the clearest way to understand what you're looking for in a guide is to start guiding someone else.

The best mentors aren't always the most credentialed or the most successful. They're the ones with moral authority — character, conviction, and consistency over time.

Your challenge for Days 21–25: Identify one person you could invest in right now — a younger colleague, a new investor, someone early in their career. Reach out. Offer your time. Leadership multiplies when it's shared.

Reflection: If you could be known for one thing as a leader, what would it be? What would it take to earn that?

Days 26–30: The Law of Expansion — Growth Increases Your Capacity

There is no finish line.

That's the mindset shift that separates good leaders from great ones. Finish-line thinking is short-term — it says "I'll grow until I get the promotion, until I close the deal, until I hit the milestone." Journey thinking says "The process is the product."

In my work, I've had to consciously resist finish-line mentality. There's always a new goal, a new market shift, a new investor relationship to develop. The leaders I most respect have leaned into that — not as a burden, but as proof that they're still growing.

Your challenge for Days 26–30: Identify one area of your life or leadership where you've hit a plateau. What would it look like to lean into discomfort there? What's the next edge for you?

Reflection: What is your biggest professional or personal dream? How will you know you're moving toward it?

Days 31–35: The Law of Consistency — Motivation Gets You Going, Discipline Keeps You Growing

This is where most growth plans fall apart.

Motivation is a spark. Discipline is the engine. Maxwell's Rule of 5 is one of the most practical tools I've encountered: every day, do five things that move you toward your most important goals. Simple. Repeatable. Compounding.

Maxwell himself credits his prolific writing output to this practice — daily reading, thinking, writing, filing, and asking questions. Five things. Every single day.

Your challenge for Days 31–35: Design your personal Rule of 5 for each of your two growth areas (one choice, one skill). Write them out. Put them somewhere you'll see them daily. Track them for the remainder of this plan.

Reflection: Where are you most inconsistent? What would it take to close that gap?

Days 36–40: The Law of the Environment — Growth Thrives in Conducive Surroundings

You cannot grow in an environment that doesn't support growth.

Maxwell's mentor Elmer Towns gave him advice that stuck: spend time with great people, read great books, visit great places, attend great events, and nourish yourself. That's not luxury — that's strategy.

As a property manager and investor, my environment includes the people in my referral network, the content I consume, the events I attend, and the conversations I choose to have. All of it either feeds my growth or drains it.

Your challenge for Days 36–40: Audit your environment. Who in your circle is pulling you upward? Who is holding you back? What books are on your list that you haven't cracked open? What one change to your routine would most protect your growth?

Reflection: Would the people around you say you create a growth environment for them? What's your evidence?

Days 41–50: Integration — Connecting the Laws

By now, you've worked through eight of Maxwell's laws. The next ten days are your integration period.

Go back through your journal reflections. Look for the themes:

• Where do you see repeated blind spots?
• Where have you grown most?
• What law challenged you the most — and why?

Spend these days revisiting the areas where you were least honest with yourself the first time. Share your observations with your accountability partner. Ask for feedback. Refine your thinking.

This is also a good time to check your Rule of 5. Are you actually doing it? If not — why not?

Days 51–55: The Law of Design — Strategies That Stick

Growth without strategy is just good intentions.

The Law of Design is where everything comes together. This is where you stop exploring and start executing. A growth plan only works if it becomes operational — built into your calendar, your relationships, and your daily habits.

Complete your Personal Growth Plan:

• My area of choice where I will grow is: ___________________________
• My area of skill where I will grow is: ___________________________
• A person I will ask to mentor/coach me is: ___________________________
• I will read the following to grow in my area of choice: ___________________________
• I will read the following to grow in my area of skill: ___________________________
• My Rule of 5 is:

Make it public. Tell someone. Post it. The leaders who share their growth plans are far more likely to follow through on them.

Days 56–60: Launch — From Plan to Practice

The plan is done. The real work begins.

These final five days are about transition — from the 60-day growth season into the rest of your leadership life. Use this time to:

• Share your completed growth plan with your mentor or accountability partner
• Schedule your first check-in at the 90-day mark
• Identify one bold next action for each of your two growth areas
• Celebrate the progress you've made — growth deserves to be acknowledged

Maxwell is right: "You can't give what you don't have, and you can't lead where you don't go." These 60 days were about filling your own cup so you can pour into the people around you — your team, your clients, your investors, your community.

A Final Word

I work in an industry where the stakes are real. Investors trust me with their assets. Families trust me with their homes. Team members trust me with their development. That kind of trust isn't built on credentials alone — it's built on the consistent, intentional investment a leader makes in themselves over time.

This plan won't make you perfect. But if you take it seriously, it will make you better. And better, compounded daily, is how the best leaders in any field are made.

Start today. Be intentional. Grow on purpose.