Expert vs Learner

What does it mean to be a brave leader?
When I ask my clients to share examples of brave leadership in their workplace, I hear things like…

• When people speak up and say the thing that nobody else is willing to say. 
• When you do what is right over doing what is easy. 
• When someone admits they don't have the answers and asks questions.

These things do take courage.  And they require vulnerability; there is risk, uncertainty, emotional exposure. Courage and vulnerability go hand in hand. 

Admitting we don’t have all the answers might feel especially vulnerable. Many of us have achieved success in our work in part because of what we know - our expertise. 

Perhaps like me, you grew up believing that the goal was to have all the answers. I remember as a young girl playfully saying to my dad "You don't know everything, Dad," to which he smiled and responded, "Almost." 

And yet, it’s not possible for one person to know everything. There is always something to be learned.
In Dare to Lead, we explore a spectrum that ranges from being an Expert to being a Learner. 

A Learner may not have all the answers, but they ask the right questions. They are curious, vulnerable and show humility in order to keep learning and growing.

The Expert wants to be right.  The Learner wants to get it right.

Letting go of our certainty can help to navigate a conflict or impasse - put the certainty aside, and get truly, genuinely curious about the other person’s position.  Seek first to understand.

• What is important about that to you?
• Tell me more about that…
• Help me understand….

As we learn about the other’s perspective, new possibilities emerge.

Letting go of our expertise and getting curious is one of the ways that brave leaders show up. 

The next time you feel stuck in a conversation, perhaps with both parties being certain they are right, try putting your certainty aside for a bit and get curious about the other’s position.

Until next time, be brave in your willingness to not have all the answers  And be kind and generous in your listening to others.