You “never arrive”; you spend your life mastering disciplines

“To practice a discipline is to be a lifelong learner.  You “never arrive”; you spend your life mastering disciplines. You can never say, “we are a learning organisation,” any more than you can say “I am an enlightened person.”  The more you learn, the more acutely aware you become of your ignorance.  Thus, a corporation cannot be “excellent” in the sense of having arrived at a permanent excellence; it is always in the state of practicing the disciplines of learning, of becoming better or worse.”  Peter Senge 1990 The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization Doubleday Business. p.11

Nanus on developing yourself as a leader

Since most people “per se” are mediocre, true leader can be recognised because, somehow or other, their people consistently turn in superior performances.  Superior managers have the ability to create high performance expectations that ultimately subordinates fulfil.

How can you get there?

  • Seek leadership responsibility early and often.
  • Find a mentor or role model.
  • Develop farsightedness.  Create a sense of vision.
  • Master the skills of interdependence.  They’re more important than the skills of competition.
  • Become a world citizen, learning the languages and cultures of others.
  • Develop personal character, integrity, and trust.
  • Seek varied job assignments.
  • Think like a researcher, develop a sense of curiosity and creativity.
  • Design a leadership job carefully, knowing their goals.
  • Have fun at what you do.

Source:  Nanus B (1990) The Leaders Edge (US: Contemporary Books)

Going above and beyond shows leadership.

We can all lead. We don’t need a leadership “position”.

In my work with early career professionals I am often challenged by people who can see a need and opportunity to improve their work and their organisation, but are hampered by a perceptual barrier – a belief that they can’t do anything about it. For a long while now I have used some ideas from the Bell Labs in the USA to help people see that they can lead from any position. A start can be to make your own job more impactful: lead by example. Take the initiative!

These ideas are a great way to reflect on what you do and how to do it better.

Continue reading “Going above and beyond shows leadership.”

Thoughts On Thursday…learning is work

“The ability to learn from experience in the present — from moments, not models — is what is needed when the past has become a hindrance and the future is unclear.“ p.49

This week I was alerted to this paper by Gianpiero Petriglieri.  It’s attraction is a reminder that whilst we often voice the need to learn at work, we often leave that as an aspiration.  To turn aspiration to action we need to create the time and space for learning to occur.  It must a a conscious process.

“There is freedom that comes with transformative learning. If you can notice, voice, interpret, and own your experience, you can also begin to imagine how to change it.” p.50

 Gianpiero Petriglieri (2020) Learning for a Living. Learning at work is work, and we must make space for it.  MIT Sloan Management Review Vol. 61, No. 2 • Reprint #61209 • https://mitsmr.com/358yEht