A good leader, the motivational speaker Simon Sinek has said, is like a good parent. They ensure that those in their care are beneficiaries of their learning.
When was the last time you intentionally went out and learned something that improved your leadership performance? How did you share this learning with your peers? If you did not, what stopped you?
I have seen first-hand the power of leaders who pass on what they have learned at the organisational and team levels. I have seen cultures and results transformed for the better. At the Thai companies AP and Shell, for example, it was a leader’s belief in an idea — and the commitment to live that belief and teach it to others — that resulted in their respective organisations being transformed.
Like many leaders, I share my own learning with teams that I believe could benefit from it and help them develop some capability. But you must set aside time to teach, not just tell your people what to learn or recommend a course without following up.
Leaders at all levels are too busy to teach classes, you may say. I think that sometimes the classroom would be the worst place to share what you need to, and there are many better ways to make it happen. But first, let us return to the subject of leadership as learning.
The old argument about whether leaders are born or made can also apply to learners. And let’s be honest, like leadership, enjoying and being disciplined about ongoing learning does not come naturally to everyone. What has changed now is that not learning as a leader is not an option.
Businesses, organisations and the world in general have become too complicated for leaders to sit back on the wisdom they already have. And being busy is not an excuse. Whether they realise it or not, all leaders have proved themselves as strong learners to get to where they are today.
Today, their ability to update or upskill their leadership learning will decide if they will still be relevant tomorrow. So, while learning (and teaching) cannot monopolise your calendar, you still need to make room for them. Here are some ideas based on my own experience:
Figure out when you learn best. Leaders have many demands on their time they need to balance. You may be talking with international colleagues at odd hours or juggling your schedule first thing in the morning. If you commit to dedicating time to the learning you need, you must figure out when will realistically work for you. It is the exact same principle as committing to an exercise regime. The when will also inform the format and length of learning you need. Leaders rarely have full days to be away from the office, but we can watch videos or join forums for 30 minutes to one hour a few times per week.
Identify your inactive time. We all get stuck in traffic here in Bangkok. We may use that time for quick phone calls, or we could use that time for learning. Identify when you have time where you cannot work optimally on something else and use that time for upskilling your leadership.
Identify your faces and places. Learning is useless without practice and reflection. About five years ago I joined a Ken Blanchard SL2 leadership class to learn how to lead various kinds of people in my organisation. Before I left the class, I had identified who I could practise my learning with and where. Who and where are the key to making the why and when work!
So, what about teaching? If you have learned something useful, pass it on. When I took groups of Thai executives to Stanford University to look at how leadership needed to evolve for the world today, they got some great insights.
However, the benefit to their organisations came when they passed their learning on to their direct reports and colleagues. Here are some ideas that I have used to “teach” my people something I found useful that did not include just joining a class:
Give your people an assignment to practise the skills you want them to develop. Stretch assignments are nothing new, but you can use this method if you take on a mentor role. Make yourself available to answer questions, offer advice and feedback.
Push them out of their comfort zones and examine successes and failures. Focus on helping them develop agility. The last two years have demanded all leaders to become more agile (or give up their seat). We have expected our people to follow suit. Now there is a range of assessments, successes and failures we can discuss and learn from. Be available to dissect them and share them over lunch or drinks with your people.
Make experts accessible. If you have learned something useful, connect your people to those who taught you. This does not have to involve expensive experts. There are so many new things that often the younger people in your organisation are the real experts. They can reverse mentor or teach others. You can join a few sessions to ensure momentum and importance.
Share lunch (with everyone). Organise a get-to-know-you or ask me anything over lunch. This does not need a formal agenda and can be enjoyable and beneficial in many ways. But from a teaching perspective, you can share your beliefs, insights and experiences — and we all need to eat. This can be virtual or in person, with individuals, or in big or small groups.
In the past, leaders may have kept some secrets or knowledge to themselves. In today’s reality, leaders need to take the opposite approach. The best leaders share their wisdom to help others be more effective and successful.
When you share you improve your own skills further, you build relationships and connections, and you create a culture of collaboration and learning.
Arinya Talerngsri is Chief Capability Officer and Managing Director at SEAC — Southeast Asia’s Lifelong Learning Center. She can be reached by email at arinya t@seasiacenter.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa
