UD Launches ‘The Quest: The Way of Beauty,’ Season Two of the EWTN Show
“The Quest: The Way of Beauty” is a collaborative effort of UD faculty in several disciplines, including art, theology, modern languages and literature.
+ Read MoreDate published: May 23, 2019
One of my biggest disappointments came when a leader who I greatly admired told me not to give him any more books or articles on leadership. He said he knew all he needed to know and wasn't interested in learning anything new.
Wow! I couldn't believe he said that.
That was over 35 years ago and the comment still haunts me. I hope I never get to the point that I think I've learned all I need to know about leadership—or husbanding, parenting, teaching, or any kind of relationship for that matter!
The longer I work with leaders, the more acutely aware I am of the fact that the most effective leaders are always challenging themselves to learn and grow.
Effective leaders must cultivate and sustain a learning mindset.
A learning mindset is characterized by a sense of ongoing learning and transformation. Those who have a learning mindset are constantly seeking new information and new experiences that will challenge them and sharpen their leadership skills.
Despite the importance of need to cultivate a learning mindset, one study found that only 10% of managers have this mindset. This minority of learning leaders share several characteristics:
In order to develop and cultivate a learning mindset, leaders must engage in leadership development as a discipline, not as recreation. As leaders, we must be intentional about investing in our own leadership development. We cannot afford to slack off on this and become stagnant.
There are several ways to do this: attend leadership conferences, observe leaders from a wide variety of contexts, interview other leaders, listen to your followers, seek wise counsel from mentors, and read.
So, given this challenge, let me ask: How are you doing on the discipline of developing your leadership?
Are you reading about leadership? Are you seeking out other leaders? Are you finding environments that teach leadership? Or, have you already learned everything you need to know about leadership?
Lead with integrity and innovate with vision through an MBA with a concentration in strategic leadership.
“The Quest: The Way of Beauty” is a collaborative effort of UD faculty in several disciplines, including art, theology, modern languages and literature.
+ Read MoreThe relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina will visit the University of Dallas on Sept. 20.
+ Read MoreThe University of Dallas welcomes new faculty members in various disciplines and congratulates others on their promotions.
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