I know a man who is the most gifted handyman I have ever met. He can repair, remodel, or rebuild anything. He is a craftsman and takes pride in his workmanship.

One day, he told me that he often doesn’t know how to do the jobs that he is hired to do. But he knows he can figure it out in time. His greatest skill probably isn’t his craftsmanship, but his ability to quickly learn and solve problems.

The value of a learning leader

Technology moves fast. So does the economy. What you learned ten or twenty years ago may no longer be the most relevant or useful information, skills, or techniques. For that matter, what you learned last year might already be aged.

Because of this dynamism, it is no longer possible (if it ever was) to “master your craft” and never have to learn again.

Instead, the crucial leadership skill and attitude to cultivate in ourselves and look for in our key hires is the ability and passion to learn.

A leader who is constantly pushing, constantly trying to grow in his or her abilities and understanding, is someone whom you can count on to adapt and adjust to change, growth or challenges.

We depend on learning leaders

It’s rare to meet someone who will tell you, “I’m not interested in learning or bettering myself.” Instead, most people will present themselves as if they are learners. However, this isn’t true.

I used to serve on the licensing board for psychologists in my state. To maintain licensure, all psychologists are required to complete a certain amount of continuing education every two years. This is normal in many professions.

Fortunately, for most psychologists, this wasn’t an issue. Many are curious people who genuinely want to grow and improve in their ability to serve their clients.

But there were always some who weren’t. Some who seemed to put more effort and time into creating excuses than just attending a couple of workshops a year. It was only with the threat of losing their license that they would finally crack open a book or attend a class.

Their lack of professional initiative and interest was always surprising to me. These are highly educated people. They spent an enormous part of their lives in school. But they didn’t seem to love to learn or grow. They were always looking for the minimum level of requirements or effort.

Unfortunately, there was no way to add the tag, “Lazy and indifferent,” to a psychologist’s license.

But I’ll bet that their clients or employers would like to know.

The six key behaviors of learning leaders

So, how do we know if someone is a “learning leader?” What do we look for to determine if someone is adaptable, curious, and motivated?

What are the key indicators of someone who can not just keep up with change but actually lead it?

Here are the six behaviors that I believe you should look for.

1. Are they curious? Do they ask questions? Do they actively try to understand things? When they don’t understand something, do they stop and ask for clarification?

When they are introduced to a new idea, tool or approach do they seem genuinely interested? Do they explore it with you? Do they ask for more information so they can follow up later?

When they discover the success of others, what do they talk about? Do they explore what that person or team did to build success?  Do they tell others about how that person or organization succeeded?

Exploring the success of others demonstrates a desire and ability to learn. Broadcasting the success of others indicates the assumption that others want to learn and grow as well (which is an insight into their attitude.)

Both indicate a level of humility.

2. How well do they pay attention? What do they do with their phone when they meet with you? Do they allow themselves to be interrupted? How interested do they appear to be? What is the quality of their follow up questions?

What do they pay attention to? How well (and for how long) can anyone thing hold their attention? Do they seem to be aware of their environment? Trends in relevant parts of the economy or market or community?

While it is fine to be entertained, does it appear they spend more time paying attention to their favorite sports team or TV show than in their team or organizational health?

Learners are attentive. They know their attention has limited bandwidth. Look for behaviors that show they protect how that bandwidth is used.

3. Are they learning something right now? Learners can’t help but learn new things. And they are learning right now. Not just when they are required to.

Do they seem to be learning in their current position? Do they assess and evaluate and reflect on “lessons learned?” Are they looking for and pursuing opportunities to grow?

What they are learning doesn’t even have to be in their area of expertise. Is someone learning about gardening? A new parenting approach? Are they dabbling in carpentry?  Are they taking a class somewhere?

Specifically, look for someone who has made learning and growing a normal part of their life.

4. Do they talk about what they are learning? I once knew an attorney, who was also an engineer and was finishing up his doctorate in psychology.

The man was in his seventies. He was enthusiastic about what he was learning. It just leaked out of him. He didn’t need the degrees or titles. He just loved to learn new things.

When he shared what he was learning, it wasn’t from an attitude of superiority. It was from a place of excitement and the belief that others might be as excited as he was.

Look for people who can’t help but talk about something new they are learning. Especially when it just bubbles up out of their enthusiasm for the topic. They might not frame it as, “I’m learning this.”

But they might talk about a new hobby, or a challenge they overcame, or a book they recently read.

5. Are they being taught? Some people are learners, but they aren’t open to being taught.

I used to work with someone who was a learner – but insisted on learning his way. As a result, the lessons he learned were often wrong or not that useful.  He was resistant to having others adjust or correct his understanding or approaches.

As a result of being overly impressed with his exceptionalism, he spent far more time than necessary in the “school of hard knocks.”

Look for leaders who have coaches, instructors or teachers. It is an indication that they are willing to receive instruction and guidance. It is another indication of humility. It also means that they are willing to receive help and not just learn on their terms.

Look for leaders who can be taught by the people they lead. Some leaders have a naïve belief that they should never show weakness.

Their staff has probably already figured out what they aren’t good at. Look for someone who doesn’t hide it (they aren’t fooling anyone), but instead asks for help.

6. Do they spend time with people ‘ahead’ of them? A runner will run faster if she isn’t the fastest person in the race

A leader who wants or needs to be the smartest person in the room is someone who has put a limit on their growth or abilities. A leader who does that limits the success or growth of their teams or organizations.

Look for leaders who regularly and intentionally surround themselves with people who are ahead of them – in skills, knowledge, success, etc.

The best leaders are learners

There is no way you can anticipate all the changes, challenges or opportunities you will face. Make sure you have built a team of people who can face them with you. The very best of these will be people who make learning part of their lifestyle.

Take good care,

Christian

Opportunities:

Conflict and Leadership: My new book. And the only book that shows leaders how to reduce and remove conflict throughout their organization – without spending days in workshops and training.

Growth isn’t just for other people: Would you like to build an organization you can be proud of? One where you love coming into work? Would you like to shortcut the effort and guesswork? Explore how leadership coaching will transform you and your workplace. Contact me.

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Reach out if you’d like answers to the following questions:

• How ready is my business to transfer ownership?
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We’ll arrange a time for an in-depth assessment of your business. You’ll leave with clear answers and direction. Contact me now!