Why Great Leaders Embrace Lifelong Learning

Last updated August 7, 2021

If you are wanting to take a more driver’s seat approach to your personal life and career, but aren’t sure what steps you should be taking to get there, a good place to start is crafting the right mindset that is open to learning and growing. 

Great leaders are willing to learn and grow. They are constantly reflecting and challenging their own assumptions. Growth-focused learning needs to be part of a leader’s commitment to improving both personally and in their career. As a career coach, this comes up time and time again. It means believing our talents are not fixed but can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and building on our strengths.  Leaders see learning as valuable in itself, and that it should be a priority, not an option. 

It is possible to gain more control over your life to make it less stressful and more enjoyable. Learning a new skill is a good way to begin honing the correct mindset for success. Part of that is accepting that it’s okay not to know everything right away. If you want to learn something new, then you have to accept the risk of failure and realise that failure itself is a necessary part of the process.

In this article, I will share some tips on how to teach yourself how to learn so you can become a better, more equipped leader in your own life.

Break down a skill into smaller parts

Once you’ve chosen a skill you want to learn, or even relearn, the next thing to do is break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Listening and learning from other leaders in your career can help you develop your own leadership skills. Try observing others complete a skill, and then write it down into teachable steps. Simplifying the process is a helpful way to avoid getting overwhelmed. It also helps get a better understanding of the ‘bigger picture’.

Make learning fun

Learning doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Try turning the learning process into something you look forward to by pairing it with something you enjoy. This could mean listening to music while you learn, changing your workspace, or involving a friend or colleague.

Patience with the process

Image by Hernandez, J.M., Humphries, L.A., & Keeling, W.B et al., (2018) via ResearchGate.

As shown in the graph above, learning curves are a visual representation of the amount of experience a learner has, against the amount of time taken to complete a task. Studies of learning curves show that the average time to complete basic proficiency happens quickly, then slows as you inch forward to mastery. You might feel like you have stopped learning, or even that you’ve gone backwards. But feeling this way is a normal part of the learning curve. The more time and energy you put into practising, the better you will get.

Even successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Richard Branson had setbacks, we just don’t always hear about them. Having a growth mindset means seeing every failure as an opportunity. 

Patience with the process and yourself is crucial - take rests, but keep going.

Set a schedule 

There’s always the initial frustration that comes with learning something new. But remember that most skills, at a very basic level, can be acquired within just 20 hours. Schedule this time and commit to putting in the work. 

Give yourself a deadline, even if there isn’t one, and work out your schedule so that you reach that deadline. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes. 

Seek guidance

When you’re unsure how to get started, consider what interests you or sparks your curiosity. Explore your creative side, join a sports team, start running or even begin cycling to work. But sometimes we need the help of a professional. In a similar way to learning a new skill, coaching is about personal growth and the development of our hidden potential. An experienced career coach can help you move past unhelpful thinking patterns and teach you how to become the CEO of your own life. 

When you embark upon the learning journey, the possibilities are endless. Once you begin to embrace all aspects of the learning process, you will start to feel far more empowered and in control of your life.

Rachel Hill is more than a certified career coach, she is a trusted mentor. Together, you’ll work through deep questioning, reflection and processes to help you develop your unique skills so you can turn your life around. Get practical advice and learn approaches you can start using straight away. Learn more about leadership training. 

References: Hernandez, Jonathan & Humphries, Leigh & Keeling, W. & Golkar, Farhaad & Dimou, Francesca & Garrett, Joseph & Sommers, K.. (2012). Robotic lobectomy: flattening the learning curve. Journal of Robotic Surgery. 6. 10.1007/s11701-011-0275-6.

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