My wife and I had not been married long and needed to move to a bigger apartment closer to where we both worked. One of my wife’s sisters and one brother and his wife came to assist us in moving. After a half hour or so and carrying, softball and baseball equipment, a basketball, golf bag & clubs, bowling balls, tennis balls and racquets, racquetball racquet and balls, archery equipment, shotgun, stunt kites, a lot of Frisbees, and other sports related items, my sister-in-laws asked my wife, “Is there any sport he doesn’t play?”
From my childhood I have enjoyed sports and have always enjoyed learning to play various sports. While I did not play much organized sports, other than church leagues growing up, I did join the professional Frisbee tour for a couple of years. It’s true there is one. And there was some very good money to be made at some of these tournaments. (I never made any, that’s why I am in the ministry today.) No matter what sport it was I watched others, I read, and listened, and I practiced. To learn one simple, basic Frisbee freestyle move, I practiced the move no less than one hundred times a day until I could do it without dropping the Frisbee (more than a month). I played basketball every chance I could as a teenager, in our back yard, in the church parking lot, at friends houses. I played for hours each day, every place I could, and every opportunity I had. A lot of sports equipment went into that moving van because I spent years watching, reading, listening, and learned – a lot.
Fast forward fifteen years, I am working in the gym of our church moving shelving units and weight equipment with Russ, one of our young men in the church. Russ worked in the high-tech industry, one of those you like having around for computer issues, and he was a good friend to hang with. On this particular day we had been working together for a couple of hours and as normal when we were together, talked about a variety of topics. With no warning Russ changes the conversation with the following statements.
“You can talk about any subject. (hyperbole) How do you know so much about so many topics?” Russ was very genuine in making his statement and his question.
While I have heard similar statements over the years, this is a somewhat awkward situation to be in. My reply to Russ was and still is today, “I’m a learner. I read a lot. I read, I listen, I learn.” That’s it, that’s all there is to it. I’m not super gifted, or talented. I simply read and I always read to learn. I observe and listen to others, and I always listen and observe to learn. When I have a needed repair around the house, I watch the repairman. Not to spy on him, but to learn. I may or may not be able to complete the repair in the future, but I can see how things work and where the issue might be with the needed repair.
Today, I am a leader. I’m not certain if I became a leader because I am a learner or if I am a learner because I was first a leader. I simply want to be on the cutting edge. I want to be effective. When I observe anything, I want to know more about it and how I can be a better leader enabling others to be better and more efficient. Therefore, I want to learn. So, I read, observe, listen, and learn.
There is no place or time in leadership to stop learning. Any great leader will tell you the learning never stops. Talk to or read about any great leader of our generation, of the past 100 years, or anytime throughout history; you will find a common thread about continually being a good listener, observer, and a consistent reader. Be a better leader by being a consistent reader. Read to learn. Read to Lead.
To find out more about learning and leadership contact George Yates and visit SonC.A.R.E. Ministries.