How the Best Managers Learn
Continuous Self Development is Essential for Success
Some personality types are more interested in learning than others but we can all push ourselves to try new experiences and encourage others to challenge us.
To survive in a fast changing world, the best managers develop themselves constantly, using their own unique learning style. But some are less interested in personal development than others.
A quick way to measure your interest in learning is to take the Myers-Briggs type indicator. 'Intuitive thinkers' (NT), place a premium on competence, are more focused on future possibilities and value change. They pride themselves on keeping abreast of the latest developments in their field. Those who prefer 'sensing' and 'judging' (SJ) value efficiency and prefer to apply existing skills rather than learn new ones. They excel in following complex procedures and get things done in an organized manner, but need more time to learn new skills and adapt to change. Oddly, however, it is these latter types who often excel as managers simply because business is most interested in the short term and making an immediate profit. Business desperately needs change agents to create better futures. Organizations that hope to have prosperous long term future strive to balance the profiles of their management population.
Those who lack confidence resist learning unless it is very much on their own terms. Much of what managers learn is through direct experience, trying to solve a problem, experimenting, making mistakes and trying something different. Managers who lack confidence, however, often fail to learn from their mistakes because they blame circumstances or other people for their errors. As a result, they fail to learn from their own bad decisions.
If you want to learn faster, there are a couple of steps to take . First, ask yourself what is your comfort zone? How long have you been in broadly the same function? When was the last time you tried something completely different, taken on some totally new responsibilities. It is well known that the most innovative people are those who are either very young or who are new to a field because they came into it with a fresh perspective.
The second thing to do is to enlist the help of those around you – your boss, team members and colleagues. You might agree to help them learn faster in exchange. Get them to ask you challenging questions regularly, to question your decisions to force you to consider other angles. Don't forget to thank people for tearing your pet ideas apart. They won't give you feedback a second time if you argue with them.
You might feel you don't have time to develop yourself. If so, keep in mind that you aren't investing in your own future otherwise.
