The 21 Laws of Leadership: How to Develop the Qualities of a Leader

Chapter 22 Curiosity for Knowledge: Long-term Leadership, Long-Learning

Teach Ability
If you spend ten times as much time listening and reading as you do talking, this attitude will ensure that you continue to learn and grow.

—Gerald McGuinness, President and CEO, Respironics
If you can realize the value of learning, then that is your biggest gain.

--John Wooden, Basketball Hall of Fame coach

Accept education with humility
If you saw a little guy on TV with a moustache, a cane, baggy trousers, big leather shoes, and a bowler hat, you probably knew right away who he was - Charlie Cho Charlie Chaplin. From the 1910s to the 1920s, he was the most famous man in the world, and everyone knew him.If we compare the current celebrities, probably only Michael Jordan is as popular as Chaplin.If we want to compare the two of them, then we have to wait another 75 years to see how many people still remember Jordan by then.

When Chaplin was born, no one would have thought that he would have such a great reputation in the future - Chaplin's father was a poor British musician, and when Chaplin was very young, his mother was sent to a mentally ill The hospital, so Chaplin often lives on the street.During those few years, Chaplin moved between shelters and orphanages. In order to make a living, he began to perform on stage.In this way, at the age of 17, he has become an "old actor". In 1914, in his mid-twenties, he came to Hollywood to work at Keystone Studios, where he was paid $150 a week.In his first year in film, he worked on 35 films as an actor, writer and director.Everyone who knew him recognized his talent, and his popularity continued to climb.A year later, he was making $1250 a week.In 1918, he did an earth-shattering event: he signed the first million-dollar contract in film history with a film company.At that time, Chaplin was famous and rich, and he was the most influential producer in the world, and he was only 29 years old.

Chaplin's success is largely due to his outstanding talent and amazing drive.But these qualities were driven by his thirst for knowledge.He has worked hard to grow, learn, and hone his acting skills, and even when he became the most famous and highest paid actor in the world, he was restless.

In an interview, Chaplin also talked about his desire for continuous improvement:
Sometimes I'll sit in the audience and watch a film I've made, and I always focus on what they can't laugh at.For example, if there are a few viewers who are not impressed by the joke I have devised, I will start to analyze whether the idea is not funny enough, or whether I have not conveyed the idea clearly.If I hear someone in the audience laughing where they see something I didn't design for, then I also think about why that makes the audience laugh.

This desire to grow not only keeps his income going up, but also perfects everything he does.Chaplin's early work was considered consummate entertainment.And over time, he became a recognized comedic genius.Many of his films are still considered classics today, and he has become one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.The famous screenwriter and film critic James Agee once commented: "In Chaplin's works, you can see the best pantomime performance, the deepest emotion and the richest and sharpest poetry. "

If Chaplin gave up his open-minded and studious qualities after his success and became arrogant and complacent, then his name can only stay in Ford Sterling or Ben Turpin. These people were superstars in the silent film era, but they are forgotten by the world today.But Chaplin has kept improving, learning and improving in terms of actors, directors and producers.When he learned that producers' work was controlled by studios and distributors, he and Douglas Faiebanks, Mary Pickford, David Griffey DW Griffith and other well-known film stars at that time founded "United Artists", a film company that is still active in the entertainment industry today.

what is curiosity
Leaders are often in danger of resting on their laurels.After all, why bother to keep improving when a leader is influential and respected?The answer is simple:
Your upbringing defines who you are.

Who you are determines who you attract.

The people you attract can make or break your organization.

If you want your organization to keep improving, then you have to be humble and eager to learn.

Allow me to give you five tips that will help you develop and maintain a curious mind:

1. Cure your "terminal disease"

Ironically, a lack of eagerness to learn often stems from achieved success.Some people make the mistake of thinking that once they achieve a certain goal, they don't need to grow.This can happen with anything: getting a degree, getting a promotion, winning an award or making a fortune.

But effective leaders don't think that way.The day they stop improving is the day they stop realizing their potential and that of their organization.Remember the words of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc: "As long as you've got turquoise in you, you're still growing. Once you're mature, you're rotten."

2. Beyond Success
Another ironic thing about intellectual curiosity: Conversely, success can hinder intellectual curiosity.Effective leaders understand that the forces that helped them succeed do not guarantee their continued success in the future.If you have had success in the past, then you should pay attention to this.And you need to think about it: if yesterday's achievement is something you can be complacent about today, you're far from it today.

3. Refuse to take shortcuts

My friend Nancy Dornan said, "The 'longest' distance between two points is the shortest way." That's true.Everything of value in life comes at a price.If you want to keep improving in a certain field, then you have to think about what you need to pay, including the cost, and then make up your mind to put it into action.

4. Let go of pride
Intellectual curiosity requires us to admit that we don't know everything, and of course this gesture sometimes makes us look less glamorous.And, if we keep learning, we'll keep making mistakes.But, as the author Elbert Hubbard said: "The greatest mistake a man can make is to be constantly afraid that he is wrong." One cannot be both haughty and studious.Ralph Emerson once wrote, "What you gain, you lose." So if you want to grow, let go of your pride.

5. Don’t make the same mistakes
President Theodore Roosevelt once asserted, "He who never makes a mistake never makes progress." That's true.But leaders who keep making the same mistakes don't make progress either.As an open-minded and studious leader, you will definitely make mistakes of one kind or another.You need to unlearn those mistakes, but remember to learn from them.If you don't do this, then you will still stumble on this.

Self-reflection: Do you have a thirst for knowledge?
Growing up on a farm in Ohio, I once saw a sign on a farming supply store that said, "If you're not happy with what you harvested, look at what you sowed." It's just a seed advertisement, but it has a deep meaning.

What kind of seed are you planting now?Is your life and your leadership skills getting better and better?Or have you just been struggling to hold your ground?If you're not getting where you want to be right now, maybe it's because your intellectual curiosity isn't enough.When was the last time you tried something new?When was the last time you put yourself down and did something you weren't good at?In the next few days or weeks, carefully observe your attitude towards growth and learning, and you will understand the extent of your humility and eagerness to learn.

A "prescription" for increasing intellectual curiosity

In order to increase your motivation to learn, you need to do the following:

1. Observe how you face mistakes

Are you brave enough to admit your mistakes?Do you apologize when the time is right, or do you often defend yourself?Take a look at yourself, then find a trusted friend and ask.If you have a bad attitude about mistakes, or if you've been avoiding them, then you really need to work on being open-minded.

2. Dare to try new things

Start today by trying something different, something that excites you mentally or physically.Accepting challenges often allows us to continue to grow.If you want to grow and improve, make taking on challenges a part of life.

3. Play to strengths
Read six to twelve books a year on leadership or a professional field.Continuous learning in your area of ​​expertise will keep you from becoming stagnant, or complacent.

Standing still will make no progress

After Tuff Hedeman clinched his third bullriding world title, he didn't have a big celebration.He headed to Denver to start the season, and that's how it started again.His way of saying this is: "The Bulls don't care what I did last week." Whether you're a rookie or a veteran, if you want to win tomorrow, you have to learn today.

(End of this chapter)