Leadership Lesson 22
One of the most challenging aspects of leadership skills is to explain a complex thing /situation /idea in a simple way.
To say something in a simple way requires lots of internal understanding, insights and ability to apply them in a real context. If you can write and explain things that can be understood by a high school student, it is also an evidence that you have mastered and internalized the particular domain knowledge
Many tend to think that using more 'jargon' or 'big sounding' word will impress. It may impress a 'specialist' academic audience. But if you are dealing with people from different backgrounds, it is of immense importance to explain complex things in a simple way. This requires a lots of skills of 'translation' of an idea or concept with real life experience and demonstration.
It is more difficult to write a substantive two page memo or concept note than writing a paper of twenty pages. Because one needs a lots of clarity and internalized learning to say what you need to say in two pages.
In fact one of the top leaders of social sector ( Mr Abed - founder of BRAC) once mentioned to me that Bill gates told them to give a proposal ( for millions of dollars) in not more than four pages . I have found that many well experienced leaders of big companies write a concept note in not more than two pages.
They can explain complex business options in five slides. Because that requires a lots of clarity and lots of thinking and distilled understanding of a situation or an opportunity or about an innovation. Steve Jobs was a master in this particular skill
Learning is an attitude because it depends on internal choices and depends on internal motivation. When you have deeper internal motivation you learn new things.
Those disciplines that I have studied in Universities ( Science, Language, Linguistics- and later on social science) have nothing to do with my professional job. I had to go through a deep and steep learning curve, reading, understanding and absorbing on a continuous basis.
In fact, all that I share/teach in Universities or other programmes are not the subjects/discipline I learned in the Universities. Most of the times, I am invited to talk about public policy, public finance, governance, advocacy or human rights and many times also on management. In fact, these are the subjects I had to learn myself in the course of time.
My own personal collection of books have thousands of books on these topics and often the latest published books on these aspects. Because such domain knowledge is immensely important to catch up and update. It is equally important to constantly revise and update your knowledge base.
When you are a thought/idea leader, you need to be ahead in terms of absorbing the latest analysis of trends in a given field. Such learning is a diaily process. Most of those with excellent knowledge /thought leadership spend few hour everyday reading new books /article/ papers and learn new aspects on a daily basis.
While the formal professional education or university education equip us with the basic skills ( language and analytical) skills, what matters is a continuous commitment to learn new things- and learning things beyond our comfort zone.
Many a time, when we achieve a professional goal or be successful in a chosen profession, there is a tendency of 'I know'- and this means the ability to learn new things will be less. When we keep knowing what we 'don't know', then we keep learning.
When we keep learning, we keep changing our perspectives and understanding. New learning requires a lot of unlearning too. This ability to learn and unlearn is also indicative of an open and active mind with an ability of self-reflection and self-awareness.
Continuous commitment to learn help us to renew from within and revitalize our ambition to innovate, imagine and initiative change. That makes learning exciting and joyful. This ability to learn from everyone and every context matters.
We have something to learn from everybody and every single context. One can learn every day from every one and from every situation, when one keeps the mind and sensory organs active and open.
When you know what you don't know and when you know to express with clarity what you know and when you can apply thoughts in choices and action, you begin to bloom leadership.
JS Adoor
To be continued
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