LEADERSHIP INVOLVES TEACHING AND LEARNING

“We can be leaders in everything we do in our work and in our daily lives when teaching others or learning from others.” – Chris Lowney

Lowney’s quote points you toward two activities – teaching and learning.

Teaching is an obvious leadership task.  But it’s underrated.  So many times, leadership is associated with exercising authority.  Leaders direct.  Leaders determine.  Leaders decide.  Leaders boss.  We all know that.

But leaders do some of their best work when they teach.  When leaders share knowledge and skill that’s been hard-earned in life, they raise the collective IQ of the organization.  To have every player be better able to confront the challenges of the day because of what they know and can do at a higher level helps guarantee the success of an enterprise.

Seeking to learn and understand is also a valuable leadership trait.  Learning from others provides a valuable “model” for others.  When the leader places a value on getting better and learning every day, that trait has a way of rubbing off on others as well.

But it goes further than that.  When you look to teammates to teach you, you increase credibility as they realize the value you place in their expertise.

What have you learned from others today?  What have you taught?  If the answer is “not much,” you have immediate opportunities to change your impact.