By Oluwole Dada
You must ensure that your team members are constantly learning something from you and that means you must constantly be searching for knowledge. Leaders are readers and therefore must be an embodiment of knowledge. Your team members must constantly be learning something from you. You must show them that your leadership position is not a fluke hence you must be passing lessons across.
There was the story of a CEO of one of the tech startups in Silicon Valley. He was once celebrated for his innovative leadership. They were the hottest company in their sector and were the talk of the town. Suddenly, his best people started leaving and he invited one of his friends to his office to review the situation. As both of them sat in the CEO’s glass-walled office discussing the events that led to the high turnover, the guest observed the bookshelf of his host. It was filled with business texts that were outdated. Not only this, but the guest also realized from the conversation that the CEO was not in tune with current trends and changing events in the industry. It was obvious that his team were hungry for knowledge, and they have outgrown their leader or alternatively the CEO was not ready for change.
This is in contrast with Sarah Chen, CEO of Praava Health who creates an environment for learning and knowledge sharing in her office. Every Thursday morning, she hosts what she calls “Learning Labs.” This is an informal session where she shares insights from the latest medical technology conferences, research papers, or books she’s reading. These activities sometimes include discussion on AI applications in patient care and on other occasions, it could be behavioral economics in healthcare pricing. She invests in data analytics and research and that informs business decisions. They also engage in regular town halls, seminars and webinars. She pairs experienced professionals with newer team members. These activities have led to 85% employee retention rate with 90% reporting increased job satisfaction. Also, Praava Health experienced 25% increase in revenue due to expanded service and improved operational efficiency.
Your power to lead your team for increased result is a function of the knowledge they are able to garner from you. The moment your team members are not learning anything from you, you will lose personal power and you are most likely to be coercing them to following you. People naturally follow someone they know has more knowledge than they do. You earn respect when your followers know that you know (sic). The shift from positional power to personal influence is perfectly illustrated by Elena Rodriguez, a project manager at a software firm. “When I first started,” she shared, “I thought my title would make people follow me. I quickly learned that authority without knowledge is like a ship without a compass.”
After this experience, Elena dedicates five hours every week to learning – reading technical journals, taking online courses, attending webinars. Her team started noticing. They saw her applying new project management methodologies, introducing innovative problem-solving frameworks, and sharing relevant case studies. Soon, the team started following her willingly and not because they had to; they were following her because they wanted to learn from her.
Your impact on your team depends on how much you know. What you know yesterday is unable to solve today’s problems. Knowledge is a competitive advantage. If you are not reading as a leader, you will struggle to lead effectively. Also, your team’s performance depends on how much they know. You must start a knowledge sharing session with your team members to help improve their performance. The old saying, “Leaders are readers” was taken up literally by Marcus Thompson, a regional manager at a retail chain store. In 2022, his store was underperforming. He had to look up to books for a solution. He transformed the break room into a mini-library, stocking it with books on retail innovation, customer psychology, and management theory. But here’s the crucial part: he reads every book first and shares key insights during daily huddles. “I used to think leadership was about having all the answers,” he said. “Now I know it’s about asking better questions.” This reading action led to a dramatic increase in his team’s performance. They have led their region in sales for six consecutive quarters.
Leadership in the 21st century isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about having an insatiable curiosity and the humility to keep learning. You must be reading books, journals, magazines and research papers. You must be attending seminars and webinars to add more knowledge. Your team doesn’t expect perfection; they expect growth. When they see you actively pursuing knowledge, they’re more likely to do the same.
