Become a Lifelong Learner

I read an interesting article in Leadership Strategies recently.  It was called Good Leaders Believe in Lifelong Learning…

Good Leaders Believe in Lifelong Learning

The first step in building an organization committed to learning is a personal one.  You must be open to learning.  When an organization’s leaders are committed to personal improvement and growth, its employees are likely to feel the same way. 

Here are four critical requirements to developing your learning skills.

Remain open to new perspectives.  You must be willing to accept the provisional nature of knowledge.  Keep questioning your established “truths” to make sure they still are valid.  Your openness toward challenging questions is a good indicator of your willingness to learn.  Do you encourage dissenting views?  Accept suggestions?  Consider opposing positions?  Do you?  Really?

Recognize your personal biases.  We all filter information through our personal filters.  Every learning bias has its advantages and disadvantages.  If you recognize your biases, you will be better able to calibrate your judgments.

Gather unfiltered information.  The further up you are in a organization, the more you will get “processed” data and information that gives you a filtered view of what’s actually happening.  Counteract this by actively participating in the work of your organization.  Drop into your service centers.  Meet with employees.  Talk to customers.  Track an order to see how work really gets done.

Stay humble.  Be willing to seek better ideas.  Admit to yourself and others that you don’t have all the answers.  The more you understand the limits of your own knowledge, the better you will be at taking advantage of the learnings that come at you every day.

The common sense point -- if you want the people you lead to keep on learning, keep on learning yourself.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more leadership common sense.  Check out my other blog www.CareerSuperStar.com for common sense advice on becoming the life and career star you are meant to be.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

Comments

[Gary Bourgeault (managersrealm.com)]

Bud,

Your comment on "Gather unfiltered information" is right on.

It is amazing how many managers don't realize that information that gets to them is so filtered, that it is suspect to even make decisions based upon them.

Even a respected company like Starbucks is having trouble getting the right information to the top; or it is neglected outright.