One of the keys that all successful businesses have at their heart is that they all actively learn. If you want to promote innovation and flexibility in your business so that you are well equipped to face change and grow even in challenging market conditions, you’ll need to encourage and develop a culture where learning is recognised, appreciated and rewarded. As my Dad always used to say when he was in management:

“Never ask people to do things that you are not prepared to do yourself.”

Therefore, if you want to promote learning then the best way is to lead by example…in other words, demonstrate to your employees that you enjoy learning new skills yourself, share with them what you are learning and it’ll start to rub off on them.

This is not as simple as it sounds. Here are three tips on becoming a better learner.  You must:

1. Be excited, not threatened, by new ideas. Leaders who are threatened by innovation undermine their position and ability to see new ideas and engage with those around them.
2. Recognize your personal prejudices and admit them to others. Biases in business are often suffocating and can blind one to opportunities.  This can mean that blinkered leaders spend too much time and money on far fetched or risky concepts.
3. Remain humble. We will never know it all and it will all change tomorrow. Knowledge is temporary and is ever changing therefore staying open and humble will allow you to build a foundation of support in your organisation that’ll help you cope with change and competitive market conditions.

What have you learnt lately that you would like to share?

Thanks to Q U E E F for the image