Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 1 second.
TODAY’S IDEA: 5 Guidelines for a teachable attitude
— From Success 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Leadership guru, John C. Maxwell, tells the story of Charlie Chaplin in his book Success 101. Chaplin was born in poverty in the United Kingdom. His mother was institutionalized when he was very young, so he found himself on the street. After living in workhouses and orphanages, he began performing to support himself. He started working in Hollywood for $150 a week, and during his first year, he made 35 films working as an actor, writer, and director. “Everyone recognized his talent immediately, and his popularity grew. A year later, he earned $1,250 a week. Then… he signed the entertainment’s industry’s first $1 million contract.”
Maxwell states that Chaplin was successful because, “he had great talent and incredible drive. But those traits were fueled by teachability. He continually strived to grow, learn and perfect his craft. […] If Chaplin had replaced his teachability with arrogant self-satisfaction when he became successful, his name would be right up there along with Ford Sterling or Ben Turpin, stars of silent films who are all but forgotten today.”
Why is this story important? Because it exemplifies the two roads that people can take when they attain success: rest in their laurels or continue to grow. “Successful people face the danger of contentment with the status quo. After all, if a successful person already possesses influence and has achieved a level of respect, why should he [or she] keep growing?” The answer is simple. In Maxwell’s words:
Your growth determines who you are.
Who you are determines who you attract.
Who you attract determines the success of your [life and] organization.
We must continually grow and strive to be the best we can be. The only way we can do this is by cultivating and maintaining a teachable attitude. For this, Maxwell gives us five guidelines.
1. Cure your destination disease. “Ironically, lack of teachability is often rooted in achievement.” When people reach a specific goal (a degree, position, award, financial target, etc.), sometimes they become complacent and believe they no longer have to grow, but “the day they stop growing, is the day they forfeit their potential—and the potential of the organization.”
2. Overcome your success. “Another irony of teachability is that success often hinders it. Effective people know that what got them there doesn’t keep them there. If you have been successful in the past, beware. And consider this: if what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much today.”
3. Swear off shortcuts. Maxwell recalls a friend of his saying: The longest distance between two points is a shortcut. And he adds, “That’s really true. For everything of value in life, you pay a price. As you desire to grow in a particular are, figure out what it will really take, including the price, and then determine to pay it.”
4. Trade in your pride. “Teachability requires us to admit we don’t know everything, and that can make us look bad. In addition, if we keep learning, we must also keep making mistakes. […] Emerson wrote, ‘For everything you gain, you lose something.’ To gain growth, give up your pride.”
5. Never pay twice for the same mistake. “Teddy Roosevelt asserted, ‘He who makes no mistakes makes no progress.’ That’s true. But the person who keeps making the same mistakes also makes no progress.” Being teachable means that we will make mistakes, and while that is no fun, they bring valuable lessons. About mistakes, Maxwell says the following, “Forget them, but always remember what they taught you. If you don’t, you will pay for them more than once.”
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” — John Wooden
And after reading all this, the natural question that ensues is: How to improve teachability to never stop growing? If this same question popped up in your head, come back tomorrow to read Maxwell’s three actions to improve teachability.
In the meantime, what do you do to always keep growing? Tell me your story of cultivating and maintaining a teachable attitude, and I will make a compilation for publishing in a future series!
ACTION
TODAY: When was the last time you did something for the first time? Ponder this question. Decide to do something that you’ve never done before and in an area where you know nothing about.
FUTURE: Make a point of learning the things of which you know nothing. You can take a class, a course, or simply buy a magazine devoted to a topic completely out of your area of expertise. Not only will you learn new things, but you will also start getting new ideas for your current life and work. How fun is that?! 🙂
Know someone who has a story of teachability and would be interested in sharing it? Please share this post with that person: email, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks!