The Interviews

I recently had the opportunity to conduct interviews with a group of seasoned leaders from a large global company. These leaders are the ones who set the stage for vision, innovation, and accountability and ultimately growth for this highly successful organization. I was amazed to hear their stories, each unique and interesting. Each one spoke of their early days in leadership that included experiences of growth opportunities.

While I expected those types of responses, there was another common thread that ran through each leader's journey. It had to do with their current station in life. Every leader, no matter his age or number of years with the organization had this in common. They were committed to a life of learning. Each seasoned executive mentioned that they are still learning and growing in their leadership role.

These highly successful people who make major decisions on a regular basis, confessed to not having all of the answers. They know that the secret to leading well is having an attitude of always wanting to learn and grow as a leader. The leader who thinks he has all of the answers is the one who is destined to fail. We see that arrogant, know-it-all attitude too often among our leadership culture. Those who breed loyalty, trust and integrity are those who are humble enough to seek wisdom, advice, and counsel from others.

When we desire to continue to grow and choose to become a life-long learner, we will make a difference.