Hungry Dogs Run Faster

I’ve never met an effective leader who wasn’t intrinsically motivated.

I used to say that leaders are readers, but that’s not entirely true.?

I now believe leaders are learners.?

The best leaders don’t spend time resting on their laurels or thinking they’ve arrived; instead, they push themselves, remaining curious and scanning their environments for ways to grow and improve. They learn from books, podcasts, courses, and TED talks. But they also learn from everyday experiences – from nature, interactions with children, or from a wise, thoughtful person they follow on Instagram.?

?

Some call them active learners or avid learners. I call them proactive learners. They don’t wait for opportunities; they move toward learning environments and opportunities – or create them themselves. They are convinced that staying the same is more uncomfortable than changing. As John Wooden, former UCLA men’s basketball coach whose teams won 10 National Championships in 12 years, said, “It’s what we learn after we think we know it all that counts.”

?

But these kinds of leaders don’t learn in order to be seen by others as brilliant. They know they’re not the end user of their learnings. They learn in order to share it with other intrinsically motivated people.

?

As former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce said, “Hungry dogs run faster.”

Be a hungry dog.

The world will be better for it.