Our 1st Leadership Question was Which problem needs Solving?. We have started our journey on the Learning Curve, because we’ve focused.
Whatever that problem is, we will automatically start taking action. We can’t help ourselves as humans – we need to Do something.
The challenge with our action orientation is if we’re not careful we’ll choose the easiest answer immediately. We stop the Learning Curve.
The reason we stop learning is because we ask the wrong question again.
All leaders ask what do we know?
Good leaders ask What Don’t we know?
If my Problem is that I can’t play golf, this 2nd leadership question is obvious – I don’t know how to hit the ball? which club to use? how to stand? what are the rules? What do I wear? As a complete novice I’m open to try new things.
As leaders we often don’t react that way to a new problem. We’re so keen to start to solve the problem that we settle with what we know already.
We try to play golf with a baseball bat.
Good leaders understand that this tendency to take the comfortable path is automatic, so stop to question what they don’t know before they do.
It’s easy to hail “taking risks” as if it’s only showing courage against a visible challenge.
Good leaders go looking for new challenges to create or find what they don’t have – to get what they want.
They realize that the future won’t be different to the past if they keep doing the same things.
“If we’re not careful we’ll choose the easiest answer immediately…”
Do you take the time to list what capability, or resources, or people you don’t have to solve a problem, or just start working with what you have?
Are you patient enough to add learning & talent acquisition time to your timeline?
Do you scan your team for what they’re not good at, before you recruit a new team member? Or do you just replace the same skill set?
Do you reward learning as an important activity or just delivery of visible results?
Do you see talent as something to be rewarded or something to be built?
Do you have the skills to get the results you want?