Leading Yourself 3 – Don’t be a Know All

Last year at College I had the honor of teaching a number of people in their 70’s. To be fair they have much longer experience of life and following God than I do. Despite this I found them to be the most open, hungry learners.

People who could have been “know it alls” were the opposite.

Then in the last week I have been in a Communications Master Class with Paul Scanlon (he’s not paying me but I would recommend it in a heart beat) and in a Leaders meeting with Ps Phil Pringle, and both mentioned that they see a teachable heart as a key to success in life.

So as I reflected on this I realised again how important it is  to lead out hearts and minds to always be teachable – to never stop learning. Once we get the “know it all” spirit we put a ceiling over our lives.

A few ways to do this -and I am sure you can think of more

1. Decide you can learn something from everyone. Every person in your world has something to teach you.
2. Be curious about life – don’t settle for what you think you remember about something – find out – heck google it. We have learning out our fingertips every day.
3. Let every life situation teach you something – I look for the lesson in everything .
4. Read, read, read. Don’t just read from authors that you know you will agree with – read people who will challenge you. Allow your thinking to be challenged.
5. Decide, no matter how much I know about a topic, I am not an expert. I am just someone on a journey to keep understanding.

As a person involved in education and training as a job it is fascinating to watch students on a learning journey. They all get the same content and experiences, some chose to be open and teachable and their growth is extraordinary. There are always some people who for whatever reason don’t  eat what is laid out for them on the banquet table. It is so sad to me – it is especially sad when they take no personal responsibility and it is everyone else’s fault. No learning experience is perfect, and C3 College is definitely not perfect, however what we learn in any place is largely our responsibility.

Everyday we have an opportunity to learn something that will enrich our lives and help us grow. Let’s lead ourselves every day to be people who are teachable.

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