A Teachable Spirit
One of the indispensable characteristics of a top flight leader is the ability to learn from anyone. When I think I've arrived or know it all - that's the moment I'm through as a leader. On the other hand, when I give others - either my colleagues or superiors - the permission to speak into my life in order to help me grow - that's when I can soar as a leader.
My staff and I are just finishing the book, "Leadership and Self-Deception." The premise of the book is how to discover and overcome blind spots in our lives. Blind spots or what the author refers to as self-deception is the inability to detect our own character flaws and the unwillingness to let others help us overcome them.
Someone once said, "It's in the darkness of their eyes that men get lost." That darkness or blind spots is the downfall of any great leader. Typically those with an unteachable spirit reject constructive criticism and recoil in anger, blame and betrayal.
Be a leader worth following by maintaining a teachable spirit.
