Learning is a Healing Ointment

Long ago, I came to know a sales executive we'll call Sal. He spoke with candor, brash at times, and appropriately spent much time in the field. As a learning and development specialist, I became known for creating good content and using all available delivery methods; at the time, virtual classes were cutting-edge. Since attendance was on the rise, Sal spoke to me about them. Frustrated that his managers were spending time in the back office rather than on the sales floor, Sal asked me to limit the number of offerings. At the end of our conversation, Sal intimated that learning and development efforts were a waste of time. Before walking back to my desk, I asked him, "If you're not spending time teaching and developing your people, what are you spending your time on?" Sal stared blankly at me.

?As a kinesthetic, visual, and natural learner, I struggled in school. Though I've always loved learning, sitting still and facing the front are not my optimal learning conditions. I earned my business degree but often joked, "Head above sea level is breathing." Though learning through movement and models is my preference, I learned later in life, at work, how to acquire knowledge through reading. Of the seven classes I passed in my final semester to graduate, I purchased precisely zero books.

If you've made it this far in the article, you undoubtedly share my love of learning. You love new ideas and connecting them to old ones. You love to mull and problem-solve. You crave inspiration and are addicted to creativity. You appreciate art and feel inspired when interacting with it. You practice continuous improvement and risk-taking. You don't fear failure, and you don't fail to ask questions. Learning is a way of life, and to love learning is to love life. You watch Ted Talks, listen to podcasts, and enjoy talking to engaged people. You read, write, cook, paint, sew, take on home improvement projects, and more.

A love of learning is why the conversation with Sal sticks with me. I still can't believe that a leader, literally of thousands of people, had such a disdain for learning and development efforts. With all the distractions available to us, even long ago, engaging with learning content should be tolerated and encouraged. Despite this obvious conclusion, I only realized recently that my conversation with Sal meant something more. There was something more profound in the sentiment that I wasn't aware of until one sunny Sunday afternoon.

?It was November in Southern California, breezy, cool in the shade, and warm in the sun. My usual chores and errands were complete, and the rest of the afternoon lay before me. I was particularly antsy, needing something to do. I'm rarely bored, as through a combination of being a latchkey kid from the 80s and possessing a bend towards creativity, I can usually get into an activity or make one up. I once gathered my darts and throwing knives and made a course in my backyard. The only way to move through the course was to throw a dart or knife and stick it in a tree or a fence before proceeding to that spot. From there, I would begin again, repeating the course if none of my attempts were successful. But I digress.

I was restless and needed something to do. It was a sinking feeling, a craving to be productive or on the right track with a creative project. Do you know that feeling? I'm sure you do. Not necessarily completing a work, a paper, a report, or whatever, but in the process of making progress. That's when it hit me. That's when I could articulate the something deeper Sal had stirred in me: learning is a healing ointment. I needed to feel better, so I picked up a 2015 article written by Bill Treasurer and began actively reading it. A trick I learned long ago is to treat finding what to read and the actual reading as separate activities. Since this article was vetted, its relevance became immediately apparent, and I drifted into flow. Bill outlines tips to help turn a dysfunctional leader into a functional one.

"Few things are as damaging to an organization as a dysfunctional leader. Left unaddressed, the corrosive impact will result in low morale, stifled development, and poor results. Sadly, most toxic leaders are blithely oblivious to the damage they create. If the slackers do their jobs, they think, performance would increase."

Here are five signs of a dysfunctional leader and tips to become more functional:

1. Your desk is a mess.?People follow leaders who portray confidence and provide structure. If you're unorganized, it will be hard for people to have confidence in your leadership. Why would anyone want to follow a leader who's a mess?
2. You travel without a North Star.?People are goal-striving creatures. If you value time at work more than actual results, if you have yet to share explicit goals with your team, and if people have no sense of forward progress, you're floundering as a leader.
3. You lead with your moods.?People want leaders who are reasonable and biorhythmically consistent. If, instead of communicating honestly, diplomatically, and straightforwardly, you prefer crossing your arms, furrowing your brow, and letting out a big sigh, people won't feel safe around you.
4. You're your parents.?People want to follow leaders who are confident in their skin and have an authentic leadership style. If your leadership style mimics one of your parents, you're just a puppet to the past. If your parent was a heavy-handed tyrant, and you now lead this way, you aren't you — you're your parent.
5. You stoke fear.?People value leaders who help inspire their courage. Conversely, using fear to get people to do what you want is cheap leadership. It takes no effort, thought, or finesse, and any weak leader can resort to stoking fears. Ultimately, leaders who motivate through fear won't have any loyalty among their followers.?

To become a more functional leader:

• Know your values.?Identify what you stand for and what you stand against. Strong, effective leadership starts with principles and values. Develop your character first.
• Get organized.?Clean your desk.?Put your life in order, and people will gain confidence in you. Further, you'll gain confidence in yourself.
• Answer the holy question.?Here are the four most important words you'll ever learn in English: What do you want? Answering that question will help you identify meaningful goals to share with your team. You'll only get what you want if you can answer that question with specificity.
• Be authentic.?People want to follow leaders who are comfortable in their skin, not wearing masks. Instead of adopting the style of your predecessor bosses or one of your parents, trust your inclinations and preferences. Close the gap between who you are today and who you aim to be as a leader. Be honest, be true, and be yourself.
• Put courage inside of people.?People don't care what keeps you awake at night. Stop showcasing your fears or stoking theirs. Talk about what gets you up in the morning. Put courage inside of people — encourage them. Stretch them toward meaningful and worthwhile challenges. Develop courage so they can apply it in ways that best serve the organization — and their careers.

The keys to a successful organization lie in its ability to nurture psychological safety and learning and development; the two go hand in hand. Consider this question. Which comes first, a psychologically safe environment where learning and development are encouraged or an environment that delivers desired results? It's hard to imagine desired results coming first. Leaders like Sal, who discount learning and development efforts, do so at their peril. Unknowingly, perhaps worse, they create an environment where development suffers, and safety is most assuredly at risk. Don't be like Sal. Know your values, get organized, dig deep for what you want, be authentic, and put courage inside of people. And, if you ever feel antsy, down, or unproductive, learn something new. Learning is a healing ointment.