As you continue to develop and hone your leadership skills, you’ll find that one of the most important things you can do is to be a constant learner. In this article, I’ll tell you why you need to be a constant learner and some simple tips to begin to live it out.
Why be a constant learner?
Stay on top of your field
If you’re not constantly learning, you’re likely to become obsolete.
In today’s business world, technology and processes are constantly changing, so you need to change and evolve with them in order to succeed.
If you don’t, you’ll quickly become outdated and irrelevant. There is a reason that new books on management and leadership are coming out every day!
Maintain a competitive edge
As a leader, you need to be able to stand apart from the competition and demonstrate expertise.
By adopting and demonstrating a constant learner attitude you can develop a unique set of skills, insights, and perspectives in your field.
These can help you to stand out from the crowd and make you a competitive player in your field. You can make yourself indispensable to your company and your field as a whole.
You won’t get bored
If you’re not constantly learning, you’re likely to become bored.
Learning new things keeps your mind active and engaged, and prevents you from becoming bored with your work. You’re recognizing new challenges and new horizons in your leadership ability.
Keep an open mind
Being a constant learner helps to keep an open mind.
This means that you’re not just relying on one viewpoint or strategy, but instead you’re able to look for opportunities and take risks in order to find the best possible solution.
This attitude helps you to remain flexible and open to the ideas of others, and gives you the ability to be innovative and resourceful in your approaches to leadership.
Don’t miss out
If you’re not constantly learning, you’re likely to miss out on new opportunities.
If you’re not keeping up with the latest trends and developments, you’ll miss out on new opportunities that could benefit you and your business. Even if you’re just in mid-level management, you’ll probably get passed up for promotions.
Don’t say, “I’m just not wired that way.”
If you’re familiar with Clifton Strengths, this probably sounds like I’m saying you must have strenghts like “Learner” or “Input.” That’s hardly the case. Strengths are just a tool to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to your advantage.
Adopting a constant learner attitude is something you can do regardless of your strengths. You have to have the drive to be receptive to new ideas, frameworks, and tools.
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean you have to become a master at everything you know. You don’t have to be a master of the language of physics to understand the basics of how it works and how it relates to other fields you may be in.
Many have noted the importance of being a constant learner. For instance, the short book Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller makes this point through a compelling narrative. The book lays out some helpful ways for leaders to grow, but it all drives home the single point: great leaders grow.
So whether you’re in a leadership role or aspiring to a leadership role, make sure you adopt and demonstrate the constant learner attitude. It is one of the crucial development strategies for leaders in the modern business world.
Five simple ways to begin to cultivate the mindset of a learner.
1. Schedule time each week to read or listen to something educational.
Great Leaders Grow makes a similar point, specifically arguing for the importance of reading (it is a book after all!). However, this applies to really any form of media.
You can read, listen to podcasts (I recommend speeding them up to 1.5x to 2.0x speed), listen to audiobooks, watch YouTube videos in your field, etc. The specific form of media doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’re learning.
A few recommended resources for educational resources for leaders include:
- Harvard Business Review
- HBR IdeaCast (podcast)
- McKinsey Quarterly
- The Wall Street Journal
- TED Talks
- The Knowledge Project (podcast)
Once you start following a few resources, you’ll find others regularly referred to as you continue to expand your leadership equipping arsenal.
Do you have some favorite resources? Leave a comment below.
2. Join or start a book club or discussion group focused on professional development.
For many people, simply making a point to read or listen to something educational isn’t enough, they need space to process and discuss that content with others. There’s no better way to do that than a book club or discussion group!
Book clubs or discussion groups can also be a great way to engage others in your organization in this journey toward being a lifelong learner. You’ll be able to grow in your leadership skills, build relational equity, and maybe even make a new friend or two.
If you branch outside of your organization, such groups are also fantastic networking opportunities.
3. Attend workshops, seminars, and conferences related to your field.
It is essential for leaders and managers to attend these types of events to stay ahead of the curve and be updated with the latest trends in their field.
Furthermore, by attending these events, leaders and managers will be able to network with other professionals which could lead to potential business opportunities.
If you work for a large corporation, you can probably get these conferences paid for through a professional development budget.
Plus, who doesn’t like all the free swag?!
4. Meet regularly with a mentor or coach to discuss your professional goals.
Some large corporations provide a mentoring program for managers to be developed by those with more experience. Unfortunately, for most of our readers, you’re probably going to have to develop this on your own.
You can begin by reaching out to some respected leaders in your department, or even in other departments. Share your goals to grow as a leader, express your respect for them, and ask for help. You’d be surprised how many people jump at the opportunity.
For many leaders, a leadership coach like those with Leadership Coaching Network can be the secret to unlocking even greater effectiveness. You can get to know one of our coaches through an easy, low-commitment 15-minute initial session.
A professional coach can help leaders grow in several ways. First, a coach can help leaders identify areas in which they need to grow. Then a coach can help leaders develop a plan to address those areas. A coach can finally provide accountability to help leaders stay on track.
5. Embrace new challenges and assignments, even if they are outside of your area of expertise.
Leaders and managers should never stop learning and taking on new challenges. Accepting assignments that are outside of your comfort zone will help you learn new skills and grow as a leader. Additionally, by expanding your skill set, you will become a more valuable asset to your organization.
You’ll prove yourself to be someone who is up for a challenge, especially if it means learning new things. This added value to your organization will set a great example for your team and surely be considered when it comes to discussing promotions and raises.
Conclusion
These are just a few reasons that you should adjust your mindset to that of a constant learner in order to be an effective leader and manager.
We’ve seen a few tips on how to actually do that, but now you have to implement them.
If you’re feeling stuck in your professional growth and want someone to help you, please contact us to get a coaching consultation. Our trained leadership coaches will work with you to continue to grow as a person and leader, leaving a greater impact on your organization and the world.