I’ve been thinking about learning… the lifelong kind. The kind that says, "I’m not too old to learn something new". The kind that says, "I should listen when people want to tune me up a bit because I have a blind spot". The sage who wrote Proverbs in the Bible tells us that if we teach people who are already wise, that they will be wiser still. “Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still” Proverbs 9:9. Don’t you want to be that guy?!
Here are a few things I’ve been thinking about:
Leaders are Lifelong Learners. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, an insurance executive and author once said there were only two things that change you, the people you meet and the books you read. What are you reading and who have you listened to that has broken up one of your paradigms of previously held beliefs? In his book, Outlearning the Wolves: Surviving and Thriving in a Learning Organization, David Hutchins weaves a tale about a flock of sheep who outsmart a pack of wolves instead of giving up. It reminds us to keep learning or we may become victims.
Real learning happens over time, in community. As leaders, we must create a strong learning environment via multiple pathways. Does your company have a continuous learning model built in? How do your team members learn new skills or hear about new ideas?
Company leaders can be the primary spiritual leaders/teachers of their group. As leaders, we’re called to be teachers and coaches, always introducing learning to those God entrusts to our care. Who are you teaching? Who is teaching you?
Recently, I’ve been learning a lot from Pastor Matt Canlis in Wenatchee, Washington. He tells me I should live my life at a pace that God sets. He calls it living life at “GodSpeed”. I’m glad I met Pastor Matt. He works as a pastor in a parish. I work as a leader in a business. That said, God wants us both to do the same thing. Love people. I’ve discovered you can’t love people too deeply if you don’t know them. That’s my learning journey for the last few months. May yours be equally invigorating.
Interested in learning how to live your life at GodSpeed? Come meet and hear from Matt Canlis at Leadership Summit in Newport Beach.