A little boy once stood in the garden with his father, gazing up in marvel at the vast, starry night sky. His father, while pointing out the various constellations, also told him that the stars were huge balls of fire. This fact not only struck the boy’s imagination, but also began a lifelong interest in learning about astronomy, space and things extraterrestrial. It led him to read science fiction and ignited a yearning to visit another planet. It was a great learning moment that he never forgot—I know because I was that little boy.

All of us experience these types of learning moments throughout our lives. Some of us actively follow them, others do not—but these moments are never wasted. They influence our minds and often shape our future thoughts and decisions, sometimes when we least expect it. As humans, learning forms a very crucial part of our lives. As children, we are insatiable learners, curious and fearless about everything. Humans go through two forms of growth: physical and intellectual. While the former peaks during adolescence and then plateaus, there is no end to intellectual growth. Think of it in terms of nutrition—once you have reached the peak of physical growth, overeating will only make you unhealthy or kill you; however, the more you feed your mind, the more you will continue to grow intellectually throughout your life. The mind has the amazing ability to absorb knowledge, analyze it, filter it, sort it, retain it and even forget it. Some knowledge is suppressed and emerges at the moment when you need it most. Most learning, though, results in the development of new competencies, skills, values and wisdom. Some of it is conscious and some is involuntarily absorbed and processed by the mind.

Have you ever experienced the exhilaration of the moment when a previously confusing or difficult concept suddenly becomes clear, or something you read sparks off a great idea? How about the moment you are able to explain something clearly to a student, coworker or child? Or, when you are watching a quiz show and know most of the answers before the competitors state them? Learning and knowledge provide a feeling of joy that is unmatched. Moreover, it is a gift you can pass on to others. Think of all the folklore or grandma’s home remedies that have been passed through the ages, sometimes just by word of mouth. This  represents a rich treasury of collective learning that each generation immeasurably gains from and can add to without limit. It is a valuable legacy.

Learning is crucial for personal development and essential for the growth of humankind. History is replete with instances of societies that were highly developed, but somewhere along the way, stopped learning and growing and, therefore, remained stagnant or died out. There are other lessons we can learn from history—the people most remembered through the ages in a positive light are founders of religions, thinkers and philosophers, and transmitters of knowledge. Their teachings live on for centuries.

When you ask different people their definition of happiness, the notion of learning is generally featured, whether it is expressed in the idea of excelling or being the best person they can be—without it, there is a sense of calcification or stagnation. As young children, our main sources of learning are usually our parents and teachers. When you ask someone to list the two or three people that made a lasting impact on their minds, odds are there is a teacher on the list. And that teacher is usually one that awakened a sense of wonder and a joy of learning for the individual. When children become adults and begin working, they often look to their leaders for the same kind of inspiration. As a leader, if you are able to transmit some of this exhilaration and love of learning to the organization or team you are leading, you are well on your way to success.

There is a lot of communication involved in the role of a leader. Most people probably think of this in terms of verbal communication—actually, the actions of a leader are a far more potent form of communication, as they are closely observed and (often subliminally) emulated by those around them. When a leader is an exuberant learner, he fosters a learning environment around him. According to Peter Senge in his book, “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization,” in a learning organization, leaders are designers, stewards and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision and improve shared mental models—that is, they are responsible for learning. Taking a stand for building such organizations is the first leadership act, the start of inspiring (literally “to breathe life into”) the vision of the learning organization (Senge, 1990).

A leader also acts as a facilitator—a rudder that helps direct the organization or team move toward a higher destination. As in any journey, learning plays an important role in the organizational journey. It helps people connect and relate to one another, it helps them grow and it inspires thinking. For a leader to ensure that the journey is captivating and inspiring growth, the learning process needs to be encouraged. The alternative to learning is slow death or atrophy, both of the individual’s mind and the organization as a whole.

Learning offers flexibility, knowledge and the stimulus to learn more—the more you learn, the more you are open to learning more. Learning stimulates the brain, kindling new ideas that can impact efficiency, productivity, output and resolution. Learning is the core of creativity and innovation in an organization. If necessity were the mother of invention, I would view learning as the father. To be creative and innovative, you need to have a core level of knowledge around the subject, and a deep understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, which you can acquire only through the joy of constant learning.

At Kenexa, we use the Extreme Service Hierarchy, which involves five levels of commitments. The pinnacle of this hierarchy is Mutual Learning. Mutual Learning means that we are sharing and partnering with customers to solve business problems and improve business outcomes. We strongly believe that when the relationship between a client and our organization involves learning, it results in a long-term, highly sustainable relationship with very low likelihood of termination.

At the individual level, two of the primary drivers of all longterm, sustainable relationships we form are enjoying each other’s company and learning from one other. It is very difficult for a leader to have a one-on-one relationship with every team member or employee. However, a leader can foster an environment built on shared knowledge to create a team of employees who are eager to learn from each other and their customers. Leaders can do this by encouraging thinkers and innovators, promoting knowledge sharing among people, emphasizing the power of learning and the benefits of training, empowering people to learn from their mistakes—and most importantly, leading by example. I have noticed that people who revel in the childlike joy of learning tend to be more endearing toward others, well liked and well respected by others, which helps create powerful bonds and strong teams. The role of the leader goes beyond simply saying, “learning is essential for the growth and sustainability of the organization” to “learning is a core competency that ensures the sustainability, future innovations and market differentiation of the organization.”

We do not need any new skills to become learners. Think back to childhood and remember the joy you felt at every new thing learned and discovered, at learning that you were able to do things on your own. It is bound to stimulate you to try to learn something new.

As humans, we all have the innate capacity to learn and grow. In addition, as leaders, if we are able to bring about personal joy, growth and happiness through learning and imbue it in people around us, we are contributing to humankind and leaving a rich legacy.

References
Senge, P. M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline. The art and practice of the learning organization, London: Random House.