Manage-Wise

Learning: The wellspring of renewal

In 1513, Juan Ponce, better remembered as Ponce de Leon, decided to search for the Fountain of Youth. In his fifties, the Spanish conquistador was already rich from earlier conquests and a stint as royal governor of Puerto Rico, but he was not content to retire quietly. Instead, he set out in March to conquer new lands and find the fabled wellspring that could restore health and revitalise the aged. Ponce sailed from Puerto Rico with three ships fitted out at his own expense. A month later, he “discovered” and claimed for Spain a new land that he named La Florida. He searched Florida and the Bahamas for the Fountain of Youth, but of course, he never found the legendary waters.

Everyone ages, but we all know people who never seem to get old. Sure, they have wrinkles and gray hair, but because they also have sparkle in their eyes and active, open minds, we tend not to perceive them as “old”. How do these people retain their youthful countenance? Often, it is their interest in the world, their curiosity. They have discovered a wellspring of renewal that drives passion, alertness and spirit. It is a love of learning.

The Drucker saga

Peter Drucker, who turned 95 in 2004, is a notable example of a life-long learner. He pursues knowledge with a vigour that puts people a quarter of this age to shame. In 1929, after the Great Crash, Drucker lost his job in a Frankfurt brokerage firm and, at age 20, found another position as a financial and foreign affairs reporter at the city’s largest newspaper. As a journalist, Drucker realised that he needed a broad base of knowledge. He explains:

So I began to force myself to study afternoons and evenings: international relations and international law; the history of social and legal institutions; finance; and so on. Gradually, I developed a system. I still adhere to it. Every three or four years I pick a new subject. It may be Japanese art; it may be economics. Three years of study are by no means enough to master a subject, but they are enough to understand it. So for more than 60 years I have kept on studying one subject at a time. That not only has given me a substantial fund of knowledge. It has also forced me to be open to new disciplines and new approaches and new methods—for every one of the subjects I have studied makes different assumptions and employs a different methodology.

This is a portrait of a self-directed learner. When I had the opportunity to hear Drucker speak and meet him, he was 91 years old. At that point, he had been pursuing dedicated topics for approximately seven decades. He had mastered more than 20 subjects, the equivalent of over 20 college degrees!

That huge knowledge- base is evident in everything Drucker does. He makes connections that others miss; he has a sense of perspective that allows him to properly weigh raw data; and, in his nineties and often in poor health, he has mental energy and purpose. He is a man who is still growing, who embraces the idea that there is still much to learn.

Continuous learning

Leadership, like all of life’s endeavours, is a process of continuous learning. Aspiring leaders fit in using a process of intraorganisational learning through which they discover how their companies work and what drives them. Learning’s greatest application, however, is its ability to drive the process by which aspiring leaders stand out as individuals, and transform their companies.

Learning, which enables you to release the leader within, is the fourth catalytic agent of the FISO (Fit In Stand Out) Factor. Learning is a wellspring of renewal for business leaders and their organisations. It is the mechanism that enables personal and corporate growth and change, without which our careers and companies would stagnate and eventually die. A popular motivational poster shows a line of horses following behind another horse with the phrase “If you are not leading, the view never changes”. That view reminds me of why releasing the leader within is so important. The leader has a broader expanse and exposure from which to learn.

Adopt and adapt

A business professional needs to adopt an attitude of lifelong learning in order to adapt to an ever-changing business culture. Business cultures change as a result of changes in market conditions and management and from a myriad of other social, economic, and political stimuli. When you encounter a new workforce, either by taking a new job or going to a new company, first watch and learn. You may adopt some of the overt behaviours, but keep your eyes open as to how and why you might make improvements that reflect the perspectives you bring to this environment.

Seeker of knowledge

Lifelong learning depends on adopting an interest in knowledge—becoming a dedicated seeker of knowledge. This requires forethought, especially for C-level leaders, who are subject to several unique barriers to learning.

First, there is the barrier of infallibility. This occurs when leaders are presumed by others to be all knowing and without need of new knowledge. (Sometimes leaders, particularly when they have been very successful, make the fatal mistake of believing in their own infallibility.) Second, there is the barrier of position. Because of their place at the top of the corporate hierarchy, the information that leaders receive is often repeatedly interpreted and revised before it ever reaches their ears. As a result of these filters, important trends and potential clues to solving dilemmas and addressing the needs of the marketplace can be muffled or lost entirely.

Worse, because of a leader’s power, subordinates often purposely twist information to protect or further their own careers. A surprising number of CEOs and corporate officers are motivated by more than stature and money. They know that “protecting” their job does not payoff. The objective of a successful enterprise and ultimately a successful, productive, and meaningful career is to contribute to the solution and make a difference.

Some individuals may know this and be quite good performers, but then stop learning and start protecting their jobs. One of the premier research studies on why once-talented individuals in a business organisation derail has been done by the Center for Creative Leadership, which has worked with a multitude of different people, functions, and industries over the last several decades. Of the ten fatal flaws their research reveals, the majority of them have one thing in common—the employee has stopped adopting and adapting. The ten fatal flaws can be summarised as follows:

• Specific performance problems with the business
• Insensitivity to others: an abrasive, intimidating, bullying style
• Cold, aloof, arrogant
• Betrayal of trust
• Overmanaging: failing to delegate or build a team
• Overly ambitious: thinking of the next job, playing politics
• Failing to staff effectively
• Inability to think strategically
• Unable to adapt to a boss with a different style
• Overdependence on a mentor or advocate

FISO Factor leaders must become knowledge seekers in order to overcome these barriers to learning. They must seek out learning as well as become astute questioners and effective listeners.

Excerpt from ‘Fit In Stand Out’ by Blythe McGarvie. Reproduced with permission © 2006, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
E-mail: vishwanath_mum@tatamcgraw-hill.com