John F. Kennedy once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
With that in mind, it’s essential to understand that a leadership position is not a destination. No one should reach a certain level and just sit tight. A leadership position doesn’t make you a leader—it merely gives you the opportunity to grow into one. To grow as a leader, you must learn. Continually.
The most successful people learn something new every day, and so do the most effective leaders. It doesn’t have to be a daily epiphany, but you should add to your knowledge base each day.
If you want to be a better manager, then educate yourself about products or services. If your intent is to become a better leader, then seek a better understanding of people. Learning something about people in general is good, but learning something about your people—the men and women on the front lines—specifically is great.
Along those lines, invest time each day to understand what motivates your people. Learn what their goals are, discover their challenges, and even more importantly, how you as a leader might help them overcome those issues.
The best leaders aren’t afraid to show the gaps in their knowledge, and the very best leaders don’t believe it’s a weakness to learn from the people they direct. After all, it’s pretty tough to learn when you’re struggling to act like you already know everything.
So open your eyes, your mind and perhaps even your heart to new discoveries every single day. And, most importantly, never forget this basic leadership fact: When you stop learning, you likely stop leading, too.
Never stop leading!
Brought to you by
.gif)