學無止境，想要成爲好領導也要好學
Although organizations spend more than $24 billion annually on leadership development, many leaders who have attended leadership programs struggle to implement what they've learned. It's not because the programs are bad but because leadership is best learned from experience.
儘管企業每年斥資超過240億美元來開展領導力培養項目，許多參加過這些項目的領導還是不能完全把學到的東西應用到實踐中。這並不是因爲項目本身存在問題，而是因爲從經歷中汲取經驗纔是提升領導力的最佳途徑。
Still, simply being an experienced leader doesn't elevate a person's skills. Like most of us, leaders often go through their experiences somewhat mindlessly, accomplishing tasks but learning little about themselves and their impact.
然而，僅僅成爲一名經驗豐富的領導者並不會提升一個人的能力。像大多數人一樣，領導們做事的時候經常會有些不用心，雖然完成了任務但是對自身和其影響力卻瞭解甚微。
Our research on leadership development shows that leaders who are in learning mode develop stronger leadership skills than their peers.
我們對領導力培養的研究表明不停學習的領導較之與其職位相同的人擁有更強的領導力。
Building on Susan Ashford and Scott DeRue's mindful engagement experiential learning cycle, we found that leaders who exhibit a growth mindset diligently work through each of the following three phases of the experiential learning cycle.
以Susan Ashford和Scott DeRue的“思維參與”以及經驗學習週期理論爲基礎，我們發現擁有“成長型思維”的領導者會勤奮地依次完成如下經驗學習週期的3個階段。
First, leaders set challenging learning goals in the form of "I need to learn how to…" For some leaders, the goal might be to become more persuasive or to be more approachable. With a goal in mind, leaders can identify opportunities to make progress toward it. These could include a new project, an international assignment, a job rotation, or simply striving to approach routine encounters in a fundamentally different way.
首先，領導者會以“我需要學習如何……”的形式制定具有挑戰性的學習目標。對一些領導者來說，這個目標可能是自己要變得更有說服力或更平易近人。有了目標之後，他們就會抓住機會逐步實現自己的目標。這些機會可以包括一個新的項目，海外派遣，輪崗或者僅僅是以一種完全不同的方式進行日常的會面。
Next, they find ways to deliberately experiment with alternative strategies. A leader interested in increasing their persuasiveness, for example, might experiment with sitting in a different place or speaking first or last in a critical meeting. Creating and capitalizing on learning opportunities can be bolstered by having a coach or peer provide feedback and act as a sounding board.
接下來，他們會設法採用不同的策略來故意進行試驗。比如說，一個希望提高自己的說服力的領導者可能會嘗試在重要會議中坐在一個不同的位置或第一個或最後一個講話。找一個指導者或者職位相同的人來提供反饋並徵求他們的意見可以激勵你去創造並利用學習機會。
Finally, leaders who are in learning mode conduct fearless after-action reviews, determined to glean useful insights from the results of their experimentation. Candidly reflecting on what went well, what did not go so well, and what might work better in future are essential though often neglected initiatives for learning from experience and discerning what to focus on learning next. Understanding these principles is important for organizations not just because it means that leadership development doesn't have to be expensive, but also because it means that leadership skills can be systematically learned and practiced.
最後，不停學習的領導者會進行大膽的“事後回顧”，下決心要從他們試驗的結果中汲取有用的見解。直率地回顧什麼進展地很順利，什麼並沒有取得很好的結果以及以後什麼可以取得更好的成果對於從經驗中學習和辨別接下來要學習什麼是必不可少的，但這些行動卻常常被忽視。瞭解這些原則對於企業來說十分重要，這不僅僅是因爲這些原則意味着領導力培養並不需要昂貴的費用，更是因爲其意味着人們可以系統地學習和鍛鍊領導力技能。
How can leaders enter learning mode? Leaders can construe setbacks as meaning they have not yet developed the required capabilities, rather than them being just not cut out for the task at hand. They can also avoid the trap of constantly seeking out places and tasks to highlight their strengths, as well as feedback that affirms their innate talents and self-esteem. Simply asking themselves, "Am I in learning mode right now?" can be a powerful cue to wholeheartedly focus, or refocus, on their leadership development, as well as their leadership performance, and thereby truly learn from their experiences.
領導者如何進入學習模式呢？他們可以將挫折視爲自己能力不足的表現，而非自己本身就不適合手頭的這項任務。他們也可以避開這樣一種陷阱，即不停地尋找其它的職位和任務來彰顯他們自己的能力並且渴望得到肯定他們的天賦和自尊的評價。一句簡單的自我提問——“我現在是在學習模式嗎？”——就可以成爲一個強大的暗示，提示自己要全身心地投入到或重新投入到領導力培養和領導力表現中去，進而真正從經驗中學習。
How can organizations help leaders enter and remain in learning mode? Organizational leaders can help rising leaders focus more on being progressively better than they were in the past, rather than on constantly benchmarking themselves against others. They can model construing mistakes as potential learning opportunities rather than as indicators of leadership inadequacy. In hiring and promotion, organizational leaders might give priority to those most likely to grow and develop in a role. Finally, they might conduct an audit of fixed mindset cues in their organization — such as the use of psychometric testing to select the most "innately qualified" high-potential leaders; forced ranking performance appraisals; and winner-take-all reward systems — and tweak them to focus more on developing than diagnosing leadership capabilities.
那麼企業如何幫助領導者進入並保持在學習模式呢？組織領導者可以幫助那些還處在上升期的領導者更多地集中在逐步取得進步上，而非總是將自己和別人相比較。他們可以將錯誤視爲潛在的學習機會而非領導力不足的象徵。在僱傭和晉升時，組織領導者可以優先考慮那些最有可能在其職位上成長和發展的人。最後，他們可以針對企業內部的“固定型思維”暗示開展審覈，例如利用心理計量測驗來選拔那些天賦異稟的，擁有巨大潛力的領導者，或利用強迫排名的績效評估方式，或採用贏家通吃的獎勵機制，來使他們更多地集中在培養而非判定領導力上。
The bottom line is that by supporting leaders being in learning mode, organizations can develop the capabilities that leaders need to anticipate, respond to, and continually learn from the stream of emerging challenges to organizational prosperity.
關鍵就在於通過支持領導者不斷地學習，企業可以培養領導者所必須具備的預測，應對企業發展所面臨的挑戰的能力以及從這些挑戰中不斷汲取經驗的能力。
