To increase your learning objectives, what skill would you choose? I would choose to increase learning by refreshing everyday skills. You still have plenty to learn before you’re a fully a developed person.
Check out our thoughts on team leverage.
Here are the life skills everyone should continue to relearn and master.
Listen to criticism
No one likes to be told they’re wrong or even that they could be doing something more effectively. It’s easy to resent the person critiquing you or completely ignore them.
Nonetheless, to succeed in life, you should always accept criticism and always respond positively to it and never think ill of people who point out your mistakes.
Patience
Patience is real courage that tests your commitment to a cause. The path to great things is always tough, but the best leaders understand when to abandon the cause and when to stay the course. If your vision is bold enough, there will be hundreds of reasons why it ‘can’t be done’ and plenty of doubters.
A lot of things have to come together—external markets, competition, financing, consumer demand and always a little luck—to pull off something big.
Honesty
When you’re late to an appointment, it’s tempting to pin the blame on gridlock or train delays.
Instead, just apologize. You don’t have to give details. ‘I planned poorly’ is a hundred times better than risking your integrity by insanely blaming traffic.
Focus
It’s been said that leadership is making important but unpopular decisions. That’s certainly a partial truth, but I think it underscores the importance of interest. To be a good leader, you cannot major in minor things, and you must be less distracted than your competition.
Keep your promises
Maybe you told a friend you’d show up to his birthday party, or maybe you agreed to finish an extra assignment for your boss. Whatever the situation, you should make good on your word.
Break your promises, and people lose trust and faith in you, which, over time, is very hard to mend.
Challenge yourself to think before you speak in a meeting.
Learning objectives … insightfulness
It takes great insight to be able to separate that which is imperative from all the incoming fire. It’s like wisdom—it can be improved with time if you’re paying attention. It’s inherent in great leader’s character.
Communicate effectively
No matter your career field, you can always improve the way you speak and write.
Think about ways to challenge yourself and tweak how you write an email or behave in a meeting.
As an example, during your next team meeting, resist talking about your idea or opinion right off the bat. Instead, count to five, and if you still feel like you have something relevant to contribute, speak up. On the flip side, if you’re shy, challenge yourself to say what you’re thinking, instead of remaining silent.
Always finds a way
Anyone that says, “It’s impossible. We can’t,” isn’t fit to lead. A real leader knows that there is always a way. It might not be the way anyone had originally planned for, but it’s a way nonetheless. Great leaders find the roads less traveled, and do whatever needs to be done to get the collective over the obstacle ahead.
Resiliency
The rest of your life is bound to include setbacks, sadness, and frustration (in addition to joy and excitement!). You should use your skills to figure out how to recover from mishaps.
This is a great time to experiment, fail, and bounce back. Learn how to ride out failure and persevere.
Importance of learning objectives … show passion
You must love what you do. To be truly successful at something, you must obsess over it and let it consume you. No matter how successful your business might become, you are never satisfied and always push to do something bigger, better and greater.Lead by example not because you feel like it’s what you should do, but because it is your way of life.
Live within your means
I advise clients to think carefully about all their expenditures:
Luxuries are a wonderful thing only if you can truly afford them. Don’t be a slave to funding a lifestyle that will not last. Learn to live modestly and save up, and then you will have earned the right to purchase yourself some treats, in moderation.
Confidence
A leader instills confidence and ‘followership’ by having a clear vision, showing empathy and being an energetic coach. It helps to combine kindness and generosity with swagger and assertiveness, definitely tough but achievable.The two work well together in gaining respect.
Learn from experiences
Studying shouldn’t be limited to your time in school. It can be anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Keep your mind wide open.
You should always be seeking out new ways to expand your mind.
Open-minded
One of the biggest myths is that good business leaders are great visionaries with dogged determination to stick to their goals no matter what. It’s nonsense. The truth is, leaders need to keep an open mind while being flexible and adjust when necessary.
Continuous learning actions … change agent
We often have a hard time imagining how much we’ll change in the future.
So it makes sense that it’s near impossible to plan where you’ll be a few years from now. But don’t fear change.
Expect to be surprised (hopefully pleasantly) by the way your life unfolds.
Optimistic
To achieve greatness, you must create a culture of optimism. There will be many ups and downs, but the prevalence of positivity will keep the business going. You have to believe in making the impossible possible.
Decision making
The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making — knowing what to do based on the information available.
While not being critical can be dangerous, so too can over-analyzing, or waiting for more information before making a decision.
If you’re more of an over-analyzer, consider trying an adapted version of the “gun test,” which Stanford engineering professor Bernard Roth wrote about in his book “The Achievement Habit.”
Pretend someone’s holding a gun up to your head and giving you 15 seconds to make a decision. You’ll be able to choose something — and it will release a lot of pressure.
Learning objectives … negotiate
Author and podcaster James Altucher discuss the importance of developing negotiation skills. He refers specifically to the tips he learned from former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss.
Those tips include getting people to say “no” when you want them to say “yes ultimately.” For example, when you’re negotiating the terms of a job and not getting your way, you can ask the hiring manager, “Do you want me to fail?” The answer is, obviously, no — and from there, you can start pushing for what you need.
Listening
‘By training yourself to be a better and ACTIVE LISTENER, you will be able to communicate more effectively and develop better relationships in life.
As Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likeable Local, previously told Business Insider, listening is the most important — and most underrated skill — in business and life.
If you want to develop your active listening skills, try “mindful conversation.” Two people pair up, and one person speaks for a set period while the other is completely silent. Then, the second person reflects on what the first person said until the first person feels satisfied. Finally, the two people switch roles.
The goal of the mindful conversation is to have less superficial interactions, to instead have interactions that leave you feeling like you and your conversation partner understood each other.
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?
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Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
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Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
More reading on mentoring from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Remarkable Lessons in Motivation Steve Jobs Taught Me
How to Create Honest Employee Trust and Empowerment
The Story and Zen of Getting Things Done
10 Positive Thinking Ideas from Peers and Mentors
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.