Leadership is about making decisions on 52/48 propositions. You better get comfortable being wrong a lot and learning even more.'
Have you ever heard something that just stopped you in your tracks? I call these 'head punch' quotes, and that's what the quote above was. I heard about it on the Maxwell Leadership podcast and have thought about it a lot. At some point, if a leader is going to survive, they have to dive into learning and never come up for air. According to my Clifton Strength Finder profile, learning is among my top five behavior traits. It is not easy for anyone to be a leading learner, but I do lean in that direction. In today's fast-moving and constantly changing times, I'm sure that being a leading learner is a critical behavior for any leader.
Here are five ways I attempt to be a leading learner, and you can, too.
MAKE A PLAN FOR YOUR LEARNING. iBooks is a fantastic tool. I do most of my reading there and track all the books on the topics I want to learn about through the 'want to read' list. The subscribe / unsubscribe feature of podcasts is another great hack. I subscribe/unsubscribe to podcasts based on pre-determined areas I want to gather information. Here's my favorite tactic - when I come across a professional in my area of responsibility, regardless of industry, I ask them for advice. Literally. I say, 'Hey, give me some advice.' It's incredible what they share.
DOCUMENT YOUR LEARNING. There is strong evidence that to learn something, you have to document it. That takes place in two ways: 1) I track all completed books and a favorite quote from that book on a Google sheet 2) I write down in a journal 'things I'm thinking' as a result of what I'm learning. A leading learner documents what they are learning to ensure they are learning it.
SHARE YOUR LEARNING. Someone once told me never to turn down an opportunity to speak. Once I learned about the powerful impact that speaking - teaching - and writing have on your learning, I applied that advice the best I could. Dr. Jordan Peterson advocates for writing because it is 'intense, focused thinking.' I don't guest blog, accept podcast interviews, or speak at conferences because I have something intelligent to say. It's because I will learn something new when I do it. If you share something with others in a way that they understand, you will have to know what you are sharing well. If you are a leading learner, you should find ways to share your learning to enhance your learning.
SOLICIT WHAT YOUR TEAM IS LEARNING. Make a habit of asking your colleagues, direct reports, and supervisors questions like: 'What are you reading?' , 'What's your favorite podcast?', 'where did you learn that' or 'What's your favorite pro tip?' A leading learner is constantly prodding their team about what they are learning.
ENCOURAGE YOUR TEAM TO SHARE THEIR LEARNING. A leading learner knows that the learning is not about them, but it starts with them. This is why leading learners are fine stepping aside and letting their people speak at conferences, accept invites to podcasts, or write journal articles. They celebrate these things because it accelerates their learning and contribution to the group. Everyone gets better when someone on the team learns something new!
Leader - You are so busy. You might not have time to keep learning. You might not be able to keep leading very well, either. Be a leading learner for your team. Learn on, friends!
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. Read about it more here. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here!
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have three children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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