Smart Leaders are Camels Not Dogs When It Comes to Learning

If you are leading your own career, a team of five, or an entire organization, it is critical that you are continually learning. Building skills, opening yourself up to new ideas, talking to people with different perspectives, and expanding your mind are not nearly nice things to do, they are paramount. Regardless of your industry or role, things are rapidly changing and it's wise to be the person who is willing to learn, adapt, and change.

However it isn't enough to merely be willing to learn, you also have to look at how you approach the process.

In short, ask yourself if you are a camel or a dog?

Allow me to explain...

Picture this: you and some friends are at a park with a large pond. You let your dog, who loves to swim, off of his leash. He immediately runs to the water and starts swimming, fetching sticks, and enjoying the deep grass around the edges of the pond. After some time, you call for him and he obediently returns to you. We all know what happens next – he shakes water all over you and your companions, leaving everyone wet and frustrated.

From my experience, the dog's behavior is prevalent in many organizations. People attend workshops, conferences, seminars and other training events only to return to their offices and begin shaking ideas off on everyone out of pure excitement. They often don’t care whether the sharing is useful, appropriate, or informative in the context of the situation; they simply shake ideas on others. In the end, nothing sticks. Colleagues are frustrated and learning is quickly lost as it is shaken here and there with little to no noticeable results.

In contrast to the dog, the camel treats water as a precious resource. While the dog scatters water about, the camel puts it to good use sustaining himself for long periods of time and drawing on reserves to accomplish his purpose. The camel understands and values waters and chooses how best to employ it.

If you want to act like a camel with your learning, here are actions you can take before, during, and after your next learning event:

Before

Take 10 minutes to define your expectations. Answer the question, “What do I hope to better understand and/or be able to do?” By doing this, you will prepare yourself for the learning event and ensure that you enter the room with a clear understanding of what YOU expect to get from YOUR investment.

During

Find an accountability partner and commit to meeting periodically to discuss your progress on implementing what was learned. Research has shown that the chances of a new behavior being incorporated into one’s life increases significantly when the individual commits to someone else that she or he will do something because of what was learned and then sets a specific future time to share progress with the other person. (ATD just released an article about this, if you want a source to cite)

After

Track your progress by creating a personal tracking tool that is easy to understand and update. Many nutritionists suggest that if you want to lose weight, one of the first steps is to keep a food journal to track everything you consume. Seeing daily food intake in writing is a very compelling way to tell if you are on track to meet your goals. The same concept applies when it comes to applying new learning. So, take time to track what you apply and the results you achieve.

By taking these careful steps before, during, and after training, you will be well on your way to achieving camel-like status.

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I write articles for leaders who are uncomfortable with the status quo, open to learning from a wide-range of sources, and are willing to put new ideas into action. If you are leading your own career, a team of five, or an entire organization, you are a leader and I'm writing to you.

94,000+ LinkedIn users have 'raised' their hands saying that they are leaders, who want to drive change, are open to learning, and are bold enough to try new ideas. If you are willing to do the same, click +follow next to my name and join the conversation.

I wish you all the best. Patrick