On Tuesday I wrote about learning from everyone, and I got some good response from it. If you missed it, click here to read it.
Shortly after posting, I had a conversation that centered around the concept of the post, specifically what makes a great leader.
So, what do you think? What makes someone a great leader? I have a theory (obviously).
A leader never stops learning.
But who would argue with that? Someone who views themselves as a leader would likely agree rather easily that learning is essential for surviving.
The difference between an average leader and a great leader comes in where learning originates.
A great leader views everything as a growth opportunity.
A great leader understands learning opportunities are all around us. An average leader assigns learning to a few specific realms (classroom, books, etc.) and rarely learns outside of those.
Great leaders (like John Maxwell) are willing and ready to learn from anything and anyone. We never know where leadership lessons will originate, but great leaders learn from everything.
The danger we all face, regardless of our age, is limiting learning to locations. We can learn leadership everywhere, but that’s no excuse to sit back and wait. Leadership growth is also a pursuit. Read books, listen to podcasts, subscribe to blogs (convenient, right?), talk with other leaders, ask more questions, and observe dynamics around you.
The world is our leadership classroom, are you ready to learn?