Leaders Are Lifelong Learners

By Mark Fulton

Seventeenth century American poet Anne Bradstreet wrote, “Authority without wisdom is like a heavy ax without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish.” Of all the responsibilities that a leader must shoulder, the proper use of power is paramount. Power can be can be a catalyst for inspiring your staff to reach new heights of excellence or a cudgel for clobbering subordinates until they do your bidding. The secret that separates a team captain from a taskmaster is the ability to wield wisdom-sharpened authority.

Wisdom is a whetstone composed of three basic elements: insight, judgement and knowledge. Insight springs from your intuition and your understanding of yourself and others. Judgement is the capacity to form an opinion by assessing circumstances and drawing sound conclusions. Both insight and judgement are faculties that are largely determined by your genes, your upbringing and your experiences in life. Knowledge, however, is the result of your conscious efforts to learn something.

Even though we are already a month into the new year, it isn’t too late to make a resolution that will sharpen your overall leadership skills and help you wield authority with artistry. Resolve to develop the habit of continuous learning this year. If you do, you’ll add a valuable dimension to your role as a leader.

Knowledge comes from many sources. If you are like most Americans, the majority of what you have learned since graduating from school has come from television, newspapers, magazines and books. Trade publications, newsletters and training seminars have no doubt figured prominently in your professional education. Travel, hobbies and cultural events have also presumably expanded your knowledge base.

Unfortunately, finding the time to feed our brain on a regular basis can be like trying to eat a healthy diet; if it comes down to choosing between bean sprouts and bacon cheeseburgers, hitting the drive-thru at Mickey D’s is arguably much more time-efficient—not to mention tastier. In the same way, it’s a lot easier to be a flicker jockey at the end of the day than it is to be a student of the latest best-selling business author.

That’s why it’s important to have a strategy for continuous learning that’s compatible with your lifestyle. Here are some ideas for consistently building your knowledge base and sharpening your leadership skills.

• Turn your car into Auto University. How many hours do you spend in the car every day? How do you pass the time? Do you: listen to the radio; talk on the phone; think about what you’ll do when you stop driving. Why not turn your car into a classroom with books on tape and audio seminars? Even short hops can become opportunities to pick up some tidbit of knowledge that will give you an edge at work.
  
  
• Use condensed reading matter to maximize your knowledge input. I encourage everyone I know to subscribe to Reader’s Digest. You can’t beat it for giving you a wide range of information in bite-size pieces. I also subscribe to Bottom Line/Personal (www.BottomLinePersonal.com), a bi weekly newsletter that provides useful nuggets of information from leading experts in many fields. Another helpful resource is Executive Book Summaries (www.summary.com), a monthly newsletter that boils top business books down to about eight pages.
  
  
• Reclaim downtime. If you take a careful inventory of your day, I’ll bet there are times when you are just “chewing the clock,” as one of my friends calls waiting in line. Get in the habit of carrying a book or magazine with you when you suspect that you’ll be stuck somewhere for awhile with nothing to do. Of course, bathroom time is the most common form of downtime. All of the aforementioned condensed reading matter is perfect for a five-minute visit to the throne room.
  
  
• Fight flicker addiction. Do you really need to watch Larry King interview Donald Trump AGAIN? Couldn’t you live without the latest Jerry Springer horror show or your tenth viewing of Titanic? Try a TV-less night just once a week and do something to nourish your mind rather than numb it. If you must watch television, opt for an educational program you wouldn’t normally watch. You can do this.
  
  
• Schedule learning breaks into your day. If you are going to be an enlightened leader, you owe it to yourself to make acquiring knowledge part of your routine. Make an appointment with yourself each day to read or listen to a tape—and don’t sacrifice it for anything. Likewise, add books or audiotapes to your nightstand. Reading before sleeping is relaxing. Besides, maybe you’ll dream up a million-dollar idea with a little pre-slumber perusing.

You can broaden your worldview, deepen your understanding of people and enhance your expertise by accepting the responsibility of being a continuous learner. If you do, you’ll find it easier to use the axe of authority to shape your employees, chop down problems and carve a place for yourself among the outstanding leaders in your company.

Copyright 1999 © Mark S. Fulton