Unlocking Leadership Success: The Power of Continuous Learning

Livingston James’ Head of Research, Kirsty Mclardy explores five reasons why leaders should focus on continuous learning as a priority.

If you carry out a simple Google search on the skills and attributes that leaders require to be successful in our current landscape, you will find endless results with differing opinions on what is most important. Many of these sources agree that the significance of relationship building, adaptability / change management and decision-making (amongst others), remain constant regardless of organisation or sector.

There is also a variety of evidence that suggests the required skillset of a CEO or leader is much more fluid compared to previous observations, with the modern world requiring more from individuals than ever before. That being said, one attribute that leaders potentially need above all others is the ability to learn constantly and continuously. In other words, and to quote John F. Kennedy, ’leadership and learning are indispensable to each other’. With this in mind, I have listed 5 reasons why all leaders should prioritise continuous learning in order to meet the elevated standards for directing an organisation towards success in today’s world.

 

1. It Presents You as a Role Model for the Wider Organisation

There is no better way to encourage a behaviour or attribute across the wider organisation than by modelling it yourself, as a leader. Teams who engage with continuous learning are more likely to have higher productivity, better alignment, increased engagement and greater levels of job satisfaction.

If leaders can showcase their continued learning and development and encourage their teams to follow suit, the benefits are likely to be organisation-wide rather than limited to the individual. Learning does not need to happen in the form of professional courses either, it can be fairly unstructured or on the job, meaning there are no barriers to entry for employees looking to start on their journey.

 

2. It Allows You to Be Prepared for Change

As already mentioned, change is happening all the time and at a rapid rate across all facets of a business. Whether it involves technology, people or processes, leaders need to be equipped to manage that change and adapt as required.

The variety of changes that leaders have to navigate through makes it impossible to have established knowledge and experience in every area; therefore, they need to possess the ability to learn on their feet. Leaders who already practice continuous development will have a head start.

 

3. It Enables Key Innovation

Leaders can only remain ahead in their field and / or sector if they keep abreast of changes and developments happening in the market, requiring research and learning as things shift. Equally, leaders and their peers / teams who continuously learn and develop are more likely to foster an environment that encourages knowledge sharing, new ideas and different perspectives. All the techniques above are crucial for building an innovative culture.

Additionally, with increased learning, leaders are likely to become more aware of what constitutes positive innovation versus bad ideas and are therefore more able to encourage creativity that will lead to organisational growth and success.

 

4. It Enhances Emotional Learning

Learning is often viewed in terms of technical information, facts or solely relating to their role; however, learning can also encompass education about yourself and others in the forms of personality, psychology and human interaction.

Leaders who invest time in this type of learning can benefit from increased self-awareness (something we discussed in a previous article) as well as a better understanding of how others around them may act, communicate and interpret things, leading to a greater level of emotional intelligence. This is hugely beneficial in building more successful relationships, not just internally but externally- and throughout life in general.

 

5. It Shows Vulnerability and Builds Trust

Successful leaders need to build trust with their workforce. A study by Harvard Business Review suggests that organisations classed as ‘high trust’ report 76% more engagement, 74% less stress and 50% higher productivity. When leaders admit they do not know everything and still require learning and development, they showcase a level of vulnerability that allows them to build trust with their staff.

Alongside this, sharing knowledge and information has also been proven to help build trust, so leaders can benefit from not only engaging in their own learning and development but also sharing it with their wider peer group.

 

The five reasons shared above are not the only examples of why leaders should focus on continuous learning as a priority – there are many, many more. However, hopefully we can all agree that current and future leaders must show a passion for curiosity and a drive for growth, and those who choose to stop learning or developing themselves will simply be left behind.

At Livingston James Group, our purpose is to support our clients and candidates to realise their potential. If you are looking for advice from a client or candidate perspective, please get in touch with Kirsty Mclardy, Head of Research, at [email protected].