5 Teachability Principles that could Change your Leadership Forever
The final installment of our “Summer Repost Series” has to do with one of my favorite topics in all the world, & one of the most important characteristics of the Leadership Culture at Next Level Church. I’m talking about…
Teachability!
Our working definition of teachability is, “Being willing to relearn that which we think we already know.”
The 5 Teachability Principles were originally published as 5 separate daily challenges to be processed a day at a time. I have combined them in this repost for simplicity.
By the way, I can’t wait to unleash some fresh, new articles starting next week. See ya then,
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If there is one word that describes what I’m looking for in the leaders around me, hands down, it’s the word, Teachability. One day I will write a book on Teachability at some point in my leadership career, because I am completely convinced that Teachability is the key to just about everything else that we want and need in leadership.
Bottom Line: If you’re not teachable, then you’re going to struggle in your leadership. I rarely get dogmatic in stuff like this, but on this one, I’m pretty darn sure. Teachability is the key to everything good in our lives and leadership.
So I want to share with you several of my thoughts on this idea of teachability. Here’s the challenge: Take 90 seconds to read the Teachability Principle, then spend 90 more seconds thinking about your own heart as a leader.
Teachability Principle #1:
Teachability is Hard.
It’s easy to talk about teachability and write about teachability. But it’s really hard to actually be teachable. Everybody says they’re teachable until you ask them to relearn something they think they already know. 90% of preachers think they’re in the top 50% of communicators in their field. Clearly, we preachers have some learning to do!!!
The essence of teachability is humility. Until we’re willing to humble ourselves, we’re not going to learn anything. For me to be teachable I have to first and foremost humble myself. I have to become the student. And here’s the kicker… the further you go in leadership, and the more successful you become, the harder this gets. When you’re successful, people think you know more than you actually do. And you actually do know a lot. So being successful and staying teachable is a rare thing for a leader.
Being teachable for me, means listening more than I talk. If I’m talking, I ain’t learnin’. Period. Saying your teachable and actually being teachable are two very different things.
? What about you?
? On a scale of 1 to 10, how teachable would you say you are?
? How teachable would your boss and colleagues say you are?
? What about your spouse and kids?
Teachability Principle #2:
Teachability is the Preferred Way to Learn.
The other way to learn is what my dad used to call, “The School of Hard Knocks.” Unfortunately, we all have had a few lessons from that particular school. Life has a way of beating some stuff into us doesn’t it? We don’t have to sign up for lessons from the school of hard knocks, they just seem to find us, most predominantly when we are least expecting them.
But what if it didn’t have to be this way? What if, instead of learning lessons, “the hard way,” we could actually, voluntarily learn by taking on a posture of teachability? What if we could go looking for lessons that others have learned, rather than waiting for lessons to find us? What if we could increase our wisdom by learning from others who have experienced things we don’t need to experience.
Taking on what I call a, “Posture of Teachability,” positions us to learn something from everybody. And when we position ourselves like that, the lessons of other people’s lives, good, bad and otherwise, will start pouring in.
? Do you have a posture of teachability?
? Or are you more prone to wait for life to teach us one way or another?
Teachability is a posture as much as it is anything else.
Teachability Principle #3:
Teachability is the path to Greatness.
Experts in any field are extremely teachable. Do you know why? Because they are keenly aware that in any given field there is too much to know simply by trial and error. To be an expert requires a tremendous amount of focus, attention, and energy. You have to not just learn facts and figures and statistics about something, you actually have to develop the skill of being able to work “ON” your field, not just “IN” your field.
Far too few leaders have developed the skill, or created the space, to actually work “ON” their leadership, and instead have become enslaved to only working “IN” their leadership. Teachable leaders understand that even as an expert in their field, they still have more to learn from others who are more experienced then they are and others who are less experienced then they are.
As a public speaker, I’m constantly watching and learning from other communicators. When they’re talking, I’m listening to what they’re saying “IN” their message, but I’m also watching the art of how they present “ON” their message. Both ways, I am learning.
Teachable leaders don’t limit themselves to only being able to learn from others who are more experienced then they are. Often times, some of the freshest ideas in the world are generated by people who are not experienced enough to know how brilliant their new idea is.
? When was the last time you carved out 3 hours to work “ON” your leadership, not just “IN” it?
? Who are you willing to learn from?
? Is it only those who are ahead of you?
? Or are you open to learning from anyone?
Teachability Principle #4:
Teachability Requires Security.
Only secure leaders are teachable. Let’s face it, allowing the experiences and thoughts of others to challenge us at our deepest levels is just down right scary. In order to be teachable, it requires a ridiculous amount of security.
As a teachable leader, I’m learning things about myself that I must face head on and then change for the better. I’m sifting out character flaws and inconsistencies that hold my leadership back. I voluntarily asking for someone to challenge my successful ideas and make them better.
Teachability invites challenge to the status quo and conventional way of thinking and doing things. Only secure leaders can handle that. If you want to know how secure you are, simply invite someone to critique the thing that you think you do best.
Teachability requires security.
? Are you willing to challenge your deepest held beliefs?
? Are you willing to face your character flaws and inconsistencies?
Teachability Principle #5:
Teachability is a Choice.
At the end of the day, you and I have a choice to make. To choose to be teachable, or not. I guess you don’t have to choose teachability. I mean, you are perfectly empowered to live safely and comfortably behind the wall of what you already know. It’s totally a choice you’re entitled to make. But it’s not your only choice. See, the other choice you’re empowered to make is to choose to be teachable. Either way, the choice you make comes with a price.
Choosing to live behind the wall of what you already know is safe is predictable. It’s secure. After all, you already know everything there is to know and that most certainly leads to a whole lot of confidence and self-assurance.
Choosing to come out from behind that wall and be teachable leads to a whole other reality. It’s scary. It’s risky. It’s unknown. That path is prone to wander off the map of predictable existence to a land of uncertain exposure and possible pain.
Living behind the wall of what you already know has a problem though. See, because the world is always growing and expanding, that means that over time, your fenced in yard will become smaller and smaller. Your world view will become more and more narrow and your defensiveness and pessimism will eventually become a crushing weight on you and everyone you’re in relationship with. Because after all, who can stand to live with someone who knows it all? And… (if we’re being honest) who would want to?
So I guess that leaves just one choice: To venture beyond your wall and become teachable. To open up the gate to the world of what you don’t know and begin to venture out. Feel free to move as slowly as you feel is comfortable, but keep in mind the world outside your wall is growing pretty fast. Life is moving at an exceptional rate, and those you lead and influence are probably already into a full blown run in pursuit of a teachable life. A life that is constantly expanding and growing. A life of teachability that is leading them to become everything their Creator has for them to become.
I hope you’ll make the choice to join us on this teachability quest. I hear it’s a pretty great adventure, if you’re willing to learn something new along the way.