Leaders should be in a constant learning mode. Once you think you know it all, give up the reins of power because you will become detrimental to your organization. While some fundamental beliefs may remain true regardless of the circumstances, most of what happens in business is in a constant state of flux. Your goal should be to stay ahead of the change curve, not fall behind it. One way to do this is to keep asking questions and seeking answers. You can never be smart enough.
There is a famous biblical quote that says, “Pride goeth before the fall.” I’ve seen this scenario happen many times with companies and individual leaders. At some point, usually when there has been a certain modicum of success, the organization/individual starts looking backward for answers rather than forward. They begin to believe what made them great is what they already know, not what they proactively decided to learn. Instead of looking outside for answers, they keep everything close-knit and inside the organization. Business is moving rapidly these days. The ease with which you can lapse into ignorance is unsettling. There is always an organization waiting to exploit your competitive vulnerabilities.
As you advance in an organization, your compensation increases based on your ability to think rather than perform. Anyone can master a particular task given enough time, training, and effort. Deciding what to do, why, and how to best allocate scarce resources is a higher level of responsibility. Making decisions should be a deliberate process, not a spontaneous, instinctive exercise. Confidence is never an acceptable substitute for wisdom. You may get lucky and get it right sometimes, but eventually the odds will catch up with you. Hubris is a very unattractive trait in a leader. Moreover, having strong opinions without any basis in fact is a waste of everyone’s time.
There is also nothing “cool” or commendable about being knowingly misinformed or stupid. When I drop my kids off at school, I always encourage them to learn something new that day. When I see them at the end of the day, I ask them, “What did you learn today?” Personally, I also make it a goal to learn something new every day. Learning needs to become a habit. It’s easy to become intellectually lazy and not put forth the effort, especially when you live a busy life. But the most successful people I know are committed to getting continually better and wiser at what they do. You should never stop learning…
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