When does learning take place? Does it take place when information is acquired? What about when the information is acted upon? Or, is it even sometime later?
Learning happens after feedback: It is only when the information is acted upon, feedback given, and a response made, that learning occurs. Learning, after all, is THE response. It is the difference between what the response would have been prior to the information acquired, and what it was because of the information acquired.
This is hugely important to the leader. Notice that we cannot force a response change. As a parent, I cannot force my child to clean their room up before they are asked. But I can coach them that we will ask them to have their clothes picked up before bedtime every night. The magic happens when they finally respond (i.e. learn) to do so without asking.
Leaders need to determine what the most effective process is for generating more positive process changes. While bosses seemingly rely on giving out more orders, leaders rely on coaching, sharing, and even joining in on the process of learning.
This coaching not only makes leaders worth following, but also—eventually—helps others generate new, and hopefully better, responses.
(A bonus note: Hey, it is Alex. I do not have a ghostwriter, which is a question I occasionally get when people ask me about BIB. So whatever you think of the worthiness of the content, it comes from me. I share this because on September 8th I am going to kick off the fall with a post about something that happened to me over the summer. It is one post that I hope everyone reads. Before that, however, there are two more summer short(er) posts that you will find both challenging and encouraging. In fact, given the difficulty of the season that we are living through, I am aiming for this blog to be a weekly source of encouragement for every BIB reader).