LAST week, we focused on how you can develop your mind and clear your belief systems.
This week, we’ll conclude the topic by exploring the things that cripple us and the best tools for learning.
From whom thou leanest
You can learn from everyone, including those who might be considered below you in the leadership hierarchy.
Often, leaders or managers tend to feel or think that they can’t learn from those below them.
When we take the reins, we sometimes believe we should change everything.
It’s never like that. Learn to integrate into existing systems.
Build their trust. Trust them to teach you things across departments.
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You can’t know everything; hence, it’s important to invite people to teach you.
This requires a level of humility, trust, openness and emotional intelligence.
As a new leader, learn what they accomplished before you arrived.
Learning disabilities
Information overload — Many factors can hinder effective learning.
One of them is information overload.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information around you?
It could be from the internet, Google, YouTube, AI, or DeepSeek.
This can be a problem. How do we solve it?
Failing to plan — Learning must be planned.
Failing to plan for learning is a major issue.
Planning to learn makes one think systematically; diagnosing the gray areas, planning the best way to learn, and implementing the learning process.
Too busy to learn — Being too busy to learn is another learning disability.
Some people claim they have no time to learn because they are too busy.
Having an answer — this is another learning disability.
Have you met people who seem to know everything and always have an answer to everything?
This is a learning disability. It’s important to accept that you don’t know everything.
This creates space to learn from others and genuinely listen to them.
The moment you think you know everything, you may believe it’s not necessary to learn.
Effective learning
Having identified some of the dysfunctions and disjunctions that hinder learning, let’s master the art of learning.
This involves a few questions:
Why do you need to learn (purpose of learning)?
We don’t need to learn everything, only what aligns with our purpose, which includes our strengths, interests, passions, and natural endowments.
What do you need to learn (focused content)?
This delves into the actual content that addresses your specific gaps, based on needs assessments.
How do you learn (model/modes of learning)?
Learning depends on personal preferences.
Some learn mainly from reading, others love to watch and learn, while some can listen and learn effectively.
It depends on personal traits and preferences.
When do you need to learn (timing and relevance of learning)?
Timing is important, and one should learn in response to the times.
Structured learning
The quality of questions you ask will determine whether you get the right or wrong answers.
There are different sources of information, including people from different specialties.
How you ask will determine whether you receive the help you need. Asking questions is an art.
Here are the five Ps of learning:
Paper: This is all about reading.
People: Listening and asking questions from people aligned with your goals, such as mentors, advisers, team members, and professional coaches.
Processes: There are known processes that you need to learn and apply.
Principles: Success is governed by laws. These either make or break you. These are universal laws. Learn as many of these as possible to win.
Problems: Problems build us. Learn through them instead of seeing them as setbacks.
- Jonah Nyoni is an author, speaker and leadership trainer. He can be contacted on X @jonahnyoni. WhatsApp: +263 772 581 918
