Excellent leaders are admirable teachers and help to mold the future of those they lead.
Leaders stereotypically shape an individual’s future by sharing their expertise as well as sharing the wisdom essential to master not simply the work they do, but a successful long-term career of learning and contributing to the lives of others.
The lessons revolve around what’s happening in the workplace as well as what’s crucial to learn in order to become more sustainable.
Consider how great leaders approach teaching with nobility.
Encourage questions – Explicit in teaching one-on-one is the idea of questioning. Curiosity opens the door and is essential to learning. A good leader makes it known that they applaud questions. Questioning reveals two notable things in a learner.
1. What employees already believe they know.
2. What they must know to become uniquely better..
Uncover insights – Genuine discussion questioning is good, and it is essential for leaders to share what he or she knows as the discussion progresses. This sharing can be in the form of an obvious lesson, or it can be in the form of a story. A good story conveys lessons in practical ways that expand the understanding to a new level of insight many times.
Question assumptions – Training employees to be suspicious of easy answers is a good and best practice. When employees are expected to reposition their thoughts on what they have learned, they demonstrate that they have learned.
Their desired goal is to prove their new understanding and learning. Often the discussion will affirm what they already know. Other times it will open new paths of discussion and learning.
An additional value that good leaders bring to the workplace when they teach with a nobility in the impact of their heart onto the lives of others: they inject confidence into those they lead.
My college Professor, Dr. Marc Gilbert use to tell me even into his retirement years, “Tell the people you lead, that what they are doing today is important, because it will impact tomorrow.” I learned from Dr. Gilbert that you never quit teaching and encouraging those you lead to ask questions, uncover new insights and question your assumptions and you will always create nobility in what you are doing.
Pass the lessons from your leaders on to the next generation and encouraged them to do likewise.
