Learners & Knowers: A Leader’s Mindset Matters… a LOT!

This week’s article is the second in the current series on Authentic Leadership. I introduced this model in last week’s LinkedIn newsletter article, and in a System Thinker article I co-wrote some years ago. There’s also a self-assessment tool based on the model on my bi-weekly blog. One more thing… while this series often includes organizational leadership references, the Authentic Leadership model applies to leadership role in any setting, including family and community.

Different strokes for different results…

As my colleague and I were developing the Authentic Leadership model we realized that truly authentic leaders approached each of the seven ‘layers’ differently than less authentic leaders. As we shared early drafts of our model, the feedback we received helped clarify the differences. And one layer of the model emerged as the pivotal dimension… Mindset.

What sets authentic leaders apart is how they value and promote engagement with other people, ideas, and alternative viewpoints. They critically examine their own perspective and invite others to share theirs. They create ‘safe space’ for open dialogue and constructive discussion and debate. They seek shared understanding and collective action. Their focus is on ‘we versus me’… the opposite is true of their inauthentic counterparts. We settled on two contrasting labels to capture the differences, Learners and Knowers. Let’s explore why.

Leadership in Learning Organization

Early on, one rich source of insights was MIT’s Organizational Learning Center, which was launched by Peter Senge, author of the classic book, The Fifth Discipline which introduced the concept of the learning organization. Senge and his network of colleagues proposed a ‘transformational learning’ framework as a key component of a learning organization. Its first principle was. “Approach every situation with the assumption that there is something you can learn from it, and view disagreements as treasures that can open windows into different reasoning processes.” That resonated with the mindset we saw in authentic leaders. They are transformational Learners.

Inauthentic leaders, on the other hand, have a very different mindset, focused on themselves and their own results. The engage with their managers, peers, subordinates, and even customers very differently. While they promote their own ideas, plans results (the top layer of our model), they become increasingly resistant to sharing openly about the remaining layers. They don’t challenge themselves and push back on others who challenge them. They are resistant to change. They defend their problematic ways even in the face of failure. Instead, they blame others. They are resistant Knowers.

Hooked on Doing…

So, how do the differences between Learner and Knower leaders play out in the real world? Let’s suppose there’s a significant challenge that requires a leader’s response.

Knower leader’s typically take charge, sometimes even wresting control from others who are already responding appropriately. The Knower, however, wants to be seen as the one ‘driving results.’ Once in charge, they push everyone for quick results, and demand compliance. Often this approach will produce acceptable results, for which they are quick to take credit and seek recognition.

Learner leaders, on the other hand, bring people together, engaging them in learning about the situation, exploring possible responses, and co-developing action plans. Doing so helps them identify who can contribute most effectively, and where. They continue to facilitate and support ongoing learning and collective action. Their approach is at least as likely to produce results. However, the process may take more time, which some observers (including Knower leaders) may see as a problem.

But let’s look deeper into the differences in these two approaches. The Knower leader approach relies on a leader generated solution that’s implemented through the compliant actions of their followers. In contract, the Learner leader approach builds capacity through collective learning, and produces committed collective action. Everyone involved understands that ‘We’ created the plan, and ‘We’ addressed the situation.

Assuming similar results, which path does more to develop a more capable and enthusiastic team. By contrast, what’s the lasting impact of the Knower leader approach. What happens when followers are told what to do, and aren’t expected to think or perhaps even collaborate. This approach, repeated over time, almost certainly leads to increasing reliance on the Knower leader. We label this storyline ‘Addiction.’ In our example, we call it ‘Hooked on Doing’, because that’s the Knower leader’s sole focus… getting things done their way. Others are just tools in their hands.

The marks and impact of a Knower leader

So, how can we identify Knowers? There are three main distinguishing characteristics: attitude, working style, and relationships.

The Knower’s attitude can be summed up as, “I must be right.” That’s both a belief and an imperative. Knowers are self-justifying and defensive, reserving their criticism for others. They need to be in control, seen as ‘the boss’… the one person whose voice matters… the smartest person in the room. For that reason, they prefer hierarchical, authority-based structures, preferably with them at the top.

The Knower’s working style can be summed up as, “It’s time for action, not for talk.” They often create a sense of urgency, even where none exists – and push their followers to their limits. At the same time, they may play the martyr… “I’m tired of having to carry everyone. If it weren’t for me…” And, since they can’t admit not knowing, they repeat failed strategies… and expect different results.

The third characteristic of Knowers is seen in their relationships. They are impatient when others don’t see things their way. They often use ‘brain dumps’ to ‘educate’ others. They value compliance and loyalty above diversity of thinking and collaboration. When things go wrong, they blame others or external sources for their shortcomings.

Not surprisingly, Knowers create a culture of blaming and mistrust. Learning, creativity, and risk-taking are replaced by fear, silence, cover-ups, and apathy. People with leadership potential are denied development support, eventually leave or, if seen as a threat, are driven out. Sadly, the Knower leader interprets these signs of cultural toxicity as evidence they must take charge even more completely.

Sadly, in many organizations, Knower leaders are more likely to be noticed and rewarded. A recent MIT Sloan Management Review of this year’s most popular articles makes it clear that there are still many toxic workplaces where the ‘take charge’ leadership style is the norm. Knower leaders are praised for what they do, but who they are being while they’re doing what they’re doing is ignored.

What will it take to raise up more Learner leaders?

Evidence of the failure of Knower leaders is all around us, and at every level of organizations… including families and communities. Yet, despite the need for authentic leaders, progress is discouragingly slow.

Somehow, we need to overcome our dependence on Knowers. There are encouraging signs as a new generation of leaders is emerging. Today’s high-potential future leaders largely reject their parents’ organizational norms. They don’t want to work in hierarchical cultures, much less lead them. But this generational shift won’t bring about the changes we need now. If we want to accelerate such a change, we must make it a priority to invest in developing Learner leaders. We can do this in several ways.

First, we need to change our selection practices, and put more emphasis on the Being side of leadership. That means placing equal emphasis on hiring for mindset, character, and alignment to purpose, all of which can be discerned through carefully designed behavioral interviews. We already do this to identify candidate strengths and limitations based on accounts of their experiences. ?

Our goal should be to recruit people whose attitude is that who they are matters, that are self-aware enough to know their strengths and limitations, and who have already demonstrated their committed to being accountable and collaborative.

Second, we must support our chosen learner leaders with coaching, mentoring, and training that shape their approach to both the doing and being sides of authentic leadership. Such supports need to be provided by proven Learner leaders, even if that means going outside our own organizations to find them.

Third, we need to change the reward systems of our organizations away from individual performance and toward collective learning and results. This alone will send a powerful message that a culture of ‘we’ matters more than one driven by ‘me.’ As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

What’s next in this series?

Next week’s article will explore the critical Mindset layer of the Authentic Leadership model more fully. I’ll provide an overview of the Arbinger Institute’s Outward Mindset framework, an important upgrade on how my colleague and I originally framed this dimension. I’ll include links to Arbinger’s own Outward Mindset assessments and blog.

Also, my next bi-weekly blog post is due out Friday, July 22nd, complete with another practical tool! ?Here’s a link to join my mailing list and get future posts automatically in your Inbox. And, finally, my promised sign-up bonus, the ‘Digging Out’ monograph, is finally ready, and has been sent to all current blog subscribers. Get yours now!