“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” — Shunryu Suzuki
Is anybody really comfortable being known as a beginner? I don’t think so. I’ve observed that most leaders that I work with(at least the ones that are hungry for growth) have a natural desire to become and be known as an expert. But this doesn’t always lead to success! To continually grow and learn, you must approach as many things as you can as a beginner, not that you are automatically an expert just because you may serve in a leadership role.
Looking back to my earlier days of growing a Team, most of my goals revolved around becoming an expert in the landscape field. I wanted to have all of the answers to everything landscape a client would ask and that I could train on to my employees. I worked hard to not have any questions because I thought that it would make me look like a beginner. I attended every training session I could find, I worked to get as many certifications in the trade I could acquire, and I benchmarked from some of the best of the best in the industry. I didn’t want anybody on my Team to know more than me when it came to the trade. While this was building up my skillset towards growing me in my landscape skills, this approach severely was limiting my growth as a leader. I was learning, yes.. But my motive was that I didn’t want anybody around me to think they had anything to teach me! Anybody on my Team will contest to today, this approach couldn’t be further from my leadership style — I am surrounded by leaders who we can reciprocate value between!
There is no expiration date for learning.
John Naisbitt says, “No one subject or set of subjects will serve you for a foreseeable future, let alone the rest of your life.” Having a beginner’s mindset will allow you to remain teachable and reach your full potential as a leader.
John Maxwell says, “If you want to be successful tomorrow, then you must be teachable today. What got you to where you are won’t keep you there. And it certainly won’t take you where you want to go.”
You cannot be full of pride and teachable at the same time. It flat out won’t work! If you are in the habit of looking down on people that are “beneath you”, then you’re on a short path leading to failure. Pride will tell you that you don’t need anyone else to succeed, but humility will tell you that you can learn something from everyone.
I will say this my amigos. Everyday I have something to learn. Every-Single-Day!
As you experience more success over the course of time, it becomes more challenging to maintain that beginner’s mindset.
Being teachable comes down to this: your attitude! In order to continue growing, we must choose to have a teachable attitude every day.
Take on the beginner’s mindset! Everything changed for me when I realized that asking questions was better for my growth and development than always answering them. And I believe it will be for you too. Trust me on that one, I’m an expert! 😉