Youre never too senior to learn something new - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

You’re never too senior to learn something new - Viewpoint - careers advice blog You might have hit the peak of your profession, but you haven’t reached the peak of your ability. No matter what stage of your career you’re at you can always learn something new. The most successful leaders in the world all got to where they are because they remained curious, and always sought to learn more. Steve Jobs didn’t put his feet up after inventing the Apple II Computer, Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t retire after winning his first Premier League and Thomas Edison didn’t rest on his laurels after creating the phonograph, so you shouldn’t stop either! Fix the roof whilst the sun is shining A director who doesnt learn is like a swimmer who doesnt breathe You might have achieved a great deal in your career and honed your leadership style over a number of decades, but in an increasingly connected world where new ways of working are being developed all the time you simply can’t afford to stop growing. In the latest issue of the Hays Journal, Perry Timms, current Director of People Transformational HR (PTHR) is right to say, “A director who doesn’t learn is like a swimmer who doesn’t breathe. You can only hold your breath for so long before it all goes horribly wrong”. Everyone’s pulling in the same direction, the teams are hitting their targets, and the business is a model of efficiency. You may be tempted to think that’s it, everything’s perfect, but instead of sitting back and wallowing in the warm glow of self-congratulation, you could take this as a timely warning not to become too complacent â€" why not fix the roof whilst the sun is shining? Of course it’s important to celebrate your success, whether it was achieved by the team under your leadership or is more of an individual milestone. Enjoy it for what it is, but this is also an opportune moment to leverage the energy from this success to look at what more you could be doing. Is there always more that can be done? In my view there is, and as leaders I think we need to be learning all the time. That said, challenging yourself to keep growing isn’t easy and that plateau you’ve reached can be a comfortable place to settle, but in today’s fast-changing, ever-evolving world of work, staying put isn’t really an option. Sooner or later you’ll be overtaken by someone who’s working better and smarter. Whether just starting out in the working world or the CEO of a multi-national corporation, you should always be looking to improve your skillset, keep your mind active and challenge yourself â€" it’s all about striving to fulfil your complete potential, no matter what stage of your career you’re at. In doing so you’re also setting an example to your team to never stagnate; to always move forward and consistently reject limitations put on them by other people or, more likely, themselves. What do you want to know? You dont have to go on expensive courses to grow your expertise In my opinion being curious is an innate condition, it’s something you’re either born with or you’re not. There are those of us who are happy with our lot and there are those who will always want to know more, no matter how much knowledge they’ve already acquired. Which category would you put yourself in? There’s always more to learn, more skills to acquire. So what’s the next step for you? What might help you work smarter and your team perform better? Could learning a new language help you to develop relationships with key clients and colleagues abroad? Could conquering the latest piece of tech help your business innovate better? Could refining your presentation style give you a better chance of winning important pitches or even just motivating your staff? Those of a curious disposition ask lots of question and get involved as much as possible. You don’t have to go on expensive courses to learn, just surround yourself with knowledge-sharing people. Sharing knowledge helps shares grow Modern leaders can’t afford to be seduced by their own status or, just as bad, become focused on protecting their authority. Just because someone is your subordinate in a business sense that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to learn from them. I’m always encouraging my staff to share new innovations and smarter ways of working with me, and I do the same with them. It’s a constant two-way flow of ideas that helps the business grow and perform better. You should always be looking for new ways to exchange information Sharing the fruits of experience can add commercial value, whichever sector your business operates in. Take the example of global engineering company Laing O’Rourke, as profiled in the Hays Journal, who have created a new role of a Knowledge Manager who is tasked with sharing knowledge more effectively. I’m not saying that you need to hire a Knowledge Manager, but you should always be looking for new ways to exchange information and insights with your team, so that you can all grow together. Never too old to learn You’re never too old to learn and neither is your business. Keep telling yourself this and keep challenging the status quo, not just when you or the business is facing difficulties but also when everything’s going well. The best leadership style is one of constant evolution, as articulated by my colleague Christoph Niewerth in his post, ‘6 leadership styles you need to succeed’. You may know a lot but you don’t know everything and never will do. What matters is that you constantly challenge yourself to learn and do more by asking what if and what next, both in terms of your own evolution and that of the business. Start today. If you enjoyed this blog then you might also enjoy some of the following: 4 ways to grow yourself global Training at the top Prioritising personality in your hiring process Are you a global citizen? Establishing an effective middle management tier How to lead from afar Successful people create their own luck 11 ways to become more productive from Hays