Page 246 - The extraordinary leader

What Individuals Do to Become Great Leaders • 223

may be especially powerful in our younger years, but we never lose the abil-
ity to learn by watching someone else do something well. In fact, much learn-
ing is informal and not obvious to the learner. We just find ourselves adopting
some of the effective behavior of another person.
Sometimes the lessons are “what not to do,” but lessons are most helpful
when they are good examples of the right things to do. That is why it is impor-
tant to look for strong role models and to pay close attention to how they
handle difficult situations.
In interviews with leaders, we nearly always are told about some senior
people for whom they worked, who made an indelible impression upon them.
Very often, a senior person went out of his or her way to express interest and
encouragement. The senior person often took a risk and gave out challeng-
ing assignments for which, in retrospect, the person knew he or she was not
totally prepared. In some cases, the senior person invited the person to visit
an important client or to attend a significant industry meeting. Unmistakable
in these conversations is the intense fondness felt for this senior leader who
had become a role model.
10. Learn from mistakes and negative experiences
We have earlier noted that one of the “fatal flaws” that causes people to have
their careers hit a brick wall is the inability to learn from mistakes. The research
is clear that learning from mistakes is a very productive tool for self-develop-
ment. One category of negative experience may be a difficult boss. Another
negative experience may be receiving some tough feedback from subordinates.
For a person who is willing to learn, however, these experiences can be pow-
erful developmental tools. A healthy attitude toward mistakes and negative
experiences is crucial to growth and improved performance. Mistakes are part
of the learning process, though some would argue with the following statement
written by legendary basketball coach John Wooden: “The team that makes
the most mistakes wins.”

11. Seek ways to give and receive productive feedback and learn to absorb
v
it in an emotionally healthy way
Most organizations are not good at providing feedback to anyone—regardless
of level or function. For people to receive useful feedback usually requires a
sincere request for it.
The learning and development process relies heavily on feedback to sustain
it. There is often a huge gap between how leaders see themselves and how
subordinates perceive them. The best way to close that gap is with feedback.