3 Ways to Grow Your Teachability
If you have had any form of success, it’s easy to think that you’ve figured “it” out or “mastered” it. Take Nintendo, for example. I vividly remember how teachable I was when it came to tips and tricks concerning Mike Tyson’s punch out. I was on a mission to reign victorious over Piston Honda, Glass Joe and of course Soda Popinski. Because of this, I had an insatiable desire to learn all that I could, that is, until I TKO’d Mike Tyson. Conquering quenched my level of teachability.
That’s video games. How about leadership?
The longer I lead, the more I realize how much I need to be intentional with my level of teachability. I came across a book a few years ago titled: The Key to Everything by author Matt Keller. Matt believes that teachability is the key to everything. “Without teachability,” he writes, “you and I will never reach our full potential or leave a mark on the world as we all desire to do.”
I agree with Matt.
Here are 3 ways you can grow your teachability.
1. Put more lines in the water.
I like to fish and have had the chance to go deep sea fishing on a few occasions. Every time I went, it struck me how many lines we had in the water. No captain would ever bank everything on a single line, and neither should you. As leaders we need more “learning inputs” or avenues, such as great books, podcasts, conferences and other leaders. I love the story Matt Keller tells about John Maxwell.
Matt writes, “John used to plan his family vacations around opportunities to spend an hour with a leader he admired. He would write to these leaders and offer to pay them a hundred dollars just to spend an hour with them. People with high teachability have an insatiable desire to learn and are always asking “How can I get better?”
2. Have someone hold up a mirror.
Blind spots are called blind spots for a reason. It is because you are blind to them. Deep, I know. Think about it though. Who have you invited out for coffee this month for the single purpose being to help you get better? Who is that trusted ally that sees what you cannot see, or should I say, that trusted friend who sees what your spouse also sees?
The reason we are not seeing growth in those areas is because we are not feeding them.
It’s pretty simple, what you feed flourishes and as you know, it’s hard to feed that which you are unaware of.
3. Increase your vision.
If you have arrived, it’s time to increase your vision. The hungriest people I know are the people that “feel” the furthest away from their finish line. These people demonstrate “rookie smarts” and gather knowledge and learning like a squirrel gathers nuts in October. They demonstrate an insatiable desire to grow.
Ray Kroc once put it this way: “As long as you’re green, you’re growing. As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.”
Which of these 3 practices can you put into action today? The best leaders I know are also the best fathers, mothers or grandparents because they all firmly grasp that “the key to everything” is teachability.
Be Teachable,
-Jon