
At school, we prioritise learning. The majority of our day is structured around knowledge acquisition and retention. As we mature and our commitments and demands on our time increase, it is easy for this commitment to wane or cease completely.
This is particularly true for leaders and was a major driver for me branding my business The Lonely Leader. Leaders frequently neglect their own need for growth and development because they are so focused on serving their staff and wider stakeholder group.
It is critical to address that by fostering and nurturing the leadership essential of a commitment to lifelong learning.
We achieve this through a series of interlinked steps:
CURIOSITY
We must retain an open mind and remain curious to explore the numerous learning opportunities we are presented with in our daily lives.
ACCELERATED LEARNING
I subscribe to the notion of Accelerated Learning - the ability to learn vicariously through the experiences of others.
This can manifest by sourcing mentors who have walked the same path and who are able to share the wisdom gleaned in the process.
It can also be learned indirectly by reading about individuals and organisations. ‘The Traits of the Greats’ can be incorporated into our personal operating systems.
Last but not least every leader must be able to learn from their stakeholder group. This requires a humility to recognise they do not have to have the monopoly on ideas and insights. When they truly open two way communication, it is amazing the ideas and energy that flow back to support the learning of the leader.
CREATING LEARNING WINDOWS
Clients frequently present “lack of time” as their barrier to lifelong learning.
NET time means No Extra Time and is a concept I learned about from Tony Robbins. The premise is that you can combine learning with other tasks you were doing anyway.
I love to listen to podcasts or audio books while walking, jogging, mowing the lawn and driving. These activities have become my NET learning windows.
Where could you embrace NET time learning as the first step to reengaging with your commitment to lifelong learning?
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