Hungry For More… Be A Learning Leader

Are you hungry?

I mean, for knowledge.

And, where do you go to get great advice?

There are certainly countless resources available in books, blogs, and podcasts…

Authors and hosts of publications and videos try to pass along some knowledge to the audience based on lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Much of what I write about here at LeaderMeter.com is knowledge I have gained by making mistakes. That’s why I have so much material!

And, while it can be easy to take notes on your own mess-ups, sometimes it’s more difficult to get the easy lessons… the ones from people who’ve “been there” and “done that.”

As I’ve gotten older, I really enjoy these lessons the most.

Defeating Mr. Pride

Sometimes when you’re younger (and more prideful), you like to think you’ve got all the answers already. Usually, it’s because you’ve got something to prove and you want to get the credit.

Somewhere along the line I probably said to myself, “you know, this is not the most efficient way to learn something. Maybe I could take some advice and keep this kind of thing from happening so often!”

I have been blessed to have great role models and mentors. Some came along later in my life. Some were there all along and I just didn’t realize the goldmine of information and wisdom that was right under my nose.

The turning point for me was a decision to listen and learn.

The Lessons Are There For The Taking

Fighting pride is a constant struggle, especially in a leadership role. Leaders are often expected to fix, instruct and guide. Sometimes, during all that fixing, you forget that you don’t know everything!

I encourage you leaders to always be in a state of learning. Don’t be so busy teaching that you forget to learn. Emulate other successful leaders. They might be authors of other leadership publications or they might be CEOs of huge corporations.

Have mentors that you can speak to one-on-one. They don’t have to be best-selling authors or famous business leaders. Often, they are quiet, unassuming people with a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that they will only share when asked.

Why? Probably because they’re humble people. And, maybe they have learned that words are made valid by actions.

Whatever your ideal mentor looks like, be purposeful about seeking them out. Observe them. Ask them questions. Learn from them. You will avoid some tough times. And, you might even get some material to write a blog post like this one 🙂