More is more when it comes to learning. Exceptional leaders recognize each new and unknown experience as an opportunity to learn. They have a profound appreciation for the importance of learning and accept that it necessarily involves making mistakes.
“What can we learn?” This is the first question these leaders ask, and by doing so, they cultivate a climate in their organizations that is warm to learning experiences and to the accelerated progress they stimulate.
Want to create a warmer climate for learning in your business?
There’s a humility and sincerity in leaders who exemplify a learning mindset. They realize that failures are gifts because they have learned more from struggle and failure than they have from success. This perspective enables them to grow from their mistakes, to get better as leaders who seek to make their companies stronger.
A proven correlation exists between the exercise of learning and leadership effectiveness. Studies conducted by researchers Bob Eichinger, Mike Lombardo and Dave Ulrich reveal that the best predictor of future success in new and different managerial roles is “learning agility.” They define this as “the ability to reflect on experience and then engage in new behaviors based on those reflections.” In addition, they specify that demonstrating “learning agility” requires “self-confidence to honestly examine oneself, self-awareness to seek feedback and suggestions, and self-discipline to engage in new behaviors.”
Creating a warmer climate for learning involves the nurturing of inquiry, openness, patience and encouragement, qualities that strengthen learning agility. Top performers thrive in a supportive environment, the essence of which is an appreciation for the power of relationships. Positive, productive relationships are founded by generosity and sustained by trust. They are characterized by respect for another’s view, by encouraging experimentation, by supporting and understanding when a novel approach goes astray, and by offering suggestions when someone is struggling to learn from mistakes. When things don’t turn out as planned, what can be learned?
People often don’t get it right the first time. It’s takes courage to fail, learn and try again. Leaders who have mastered “learning agility” through their own experiences create a warmer climate for learning by making it safe to experiment, to fail, to learn and to persevere.
How warm is your company’s climate for learning?
What can be done to make it warmer?
