These days, true leaders need to sign up for a lifetime of learning in order to keep up with, and adapt to an ever-changing workplace.
Those of us with the ability to challenge our own assumptions are more likely to find better solutions and win over the hearts and minds of colleagues.
But the best leaders aren’t just adaptive, they’re intuitive – they see problems on the horizon before they begin to form. This takes creativity, patience, an open mind, and a commitment to staying ever curious.
We spoke to some of First State Super’s best and brightest to see how they approach lifetime learning – both in and out of the office – and a number of common themes appeared.
Remain flexible and open-minded
It takes a flexible mind to keep up with the changing modern workplace, especially in the face of constant advances in technology. Many new skills learnt on the job today have a much shorter lifecycle than they used to.
Rather than simply falling back on existing knowledge, today’s leaders need to continually seek out new information and more advanced solutions.
This means being humble and accepting the limitations of what we know.
While this can be tricky (and a little challenging for the ego), it’s also a great opportunity to stay engaged and current.
Take charge of your own learning
It can be easy to outsource our learning and development responsibilities to other people, such as a human resources team, a lecturer or a course facilitator. But it’s important to take responsibility for our own learning and, more importantly, understanding, of new information.
Medical statistician Doctor Margaret McDougal^1 found the best autonomous learners:
- accept their limitations
- find ways to integrate learning into their day-to-today lives
- surround themselves with people who validate their capacity to learn
- whenever possible retain ownership over their own projects.
These strategies help strengthen your ability to come up with tailored and independent solutions for new challenges, rather than simply falling back on things you already know. As a leader, it’s all about equipping yourself with the ability to see the whole picture.
Embrace the resources available
When it comes to learning new skills or information, it’s easy to forget how many great (and often free) resources are out there - formal study or training courses are not your only options. Becoming a better leader (and a popular dinner table conversationalist) can start with something as simple as exercising your mind with a new podcast on the way home.
Some of our team’s favourites include: Sleek Geeks, which delights in science and the mysteries of the universe, and No Such Thing as Fish, which is a fun and fascinating exploration by the researchers at QI.
On the professional front, hot tips included the McKinsey Podcast, which explores important business and management-related issues, and How I Built This, which profiles the innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists behind some of the world’s best known businesses.
Learning for life
Insightful leaders continuously seek to polish up on old skills and acquire new ones by sharing, learning (and relearning) autonomously and always keeping an open mind. Because they know that you’re never too senior to keep learning.
Leaders who take on these qualities are those who scout out lasting solutions, which also benefit the organisation they work for, and the people they work with.
