An old expression rings true today: “Knowledge begets confidence.” The more
we know, the more confident we are. This applies to leadership, as well:
Learning begets leadership. The confidence people place in you as a
leader, in part, is based on what you know - and what you ASK. Great leaders
are continuous learners.
As a leader, how do you build knowledge? Let’s take a look at these five
questions.
The Prince Health Leadership Learning Test
As a leader, if you can answer all five questions, you possess the insight and
action necessary to create a culture of learning for your organization:
1) “What do you learn from your people?” The most powerful way to
learn is to ASK. Leaders in strong learning organizations ask their people
meaningful questions to understand their challenges and ideas and to learn new
ways to solve problems and to develop solutions. The “ASK Leader” sends a
powerful message – employees’ opinions matter. Great organizations build
learning from the ground up.
2) “What do you study?” An old friend taught me that it’s not what you
choose to read, but what you choose to study. Challenge yourself to move
information into knowledge – which is defined as information that is actionable
and that helps the organization solve problems and achieve shared goals.
3) “What do you immerse yourself in?” Effective learning leaders
recognize that the best means to move information to knowledge is through
immersion learning. Rally your teams to seek knowledge by learning new and
better ways of solving today’s problems - and to achieve shared business
objectives in a short period of time. Think about the urgency of team learning
necessary to save the astronauts in the Apollo 13 spacecraft.
4) “What do you teach?” The learning leader knows the best way to teach
is to ASK. Set your people up for success by helping them solve their own
problems. First ask questions, and then help your people close the learning gap
by sharing knowledge.
5) “Do you reward learning?” Ask yourself how effectively you recognize
and reward people and teams for learning new ways of achieving success. Who
is your organization’s Learner of the Month?
Use this simple five-question test to ensure that you are developing
a culture of learning – that leads to tangible results