Leading Organizational Learning

• They have an open and curious mind.They are not only open
  to diverse perspectives and points of view; they also actively seek out
  people and ideas that challenge their way of seeing the world. They
  ask questions that generate insights and new possibilities for action.


• They show humility.They have the ability to see themselves
  in action and to openly talk about their mistakes. Their ego
  doesn’t get in the way of learning. They accept the position of not
  knowing and respect others for recognizing the same.


• They make their learning public.They invite feedback at every
  opportunity. They are proactive in having people observe them and
  are public about the development issues on which they are work-
  ing. They use every opportunity to share stories about their experi-
  ences and what they have learned from them.


• They tolerate risk.They are tolerant of mistakes as long as
  there is a commitment to learning. They believe that to be
  successful, learning in the organization must be greater than the
  rate of change.


• They “walk the talk.”Not only are they vocal about their
  support of learning, but they also sustain the resources dedicated by
  the organization for learning in good and bad times. They model
  what they preach and ask others to do the same.

How CEOs Acquire and Share Their Knowledge

CEOs acquire knowledge in a multitude of ways, and they don’t
just keep it to themselves.

CEOs Learn on the Job

CEOs see every transaction, conversation, and forum as an oppor-
tunity to learn. They are intentional about it through the process
of reflection. They stop periodically to consider what and how they
might learn. They invite people to trigger their reflection process
through questions that challenge the way they see the business and
the organization.

LEARNING AT THETOP 163