Successful leaders continue to grow and learn on the job. In fact, an essential leadership attribute is the ability to remain open to new ways of thinking and to continuously learn new skills.

According to the research Learning About Learning Agility  by the Center for Creative Leadership and Teachers College, Columbia University, the willingness and ability to learn throughout one’s career is increasingly important as changing technology, markets and methods require new skills and behaviors.

Over the long term, your ability to learn new knowledge, skills and behaviors will equip you to respond to future challenges more than your current skill-set.

Researchers found five tips that enable one’s learning agility:

  1. Innovate: Challenge the status quo
  2. Perform: Remain calm in the midst of adversity
  3. Reflect: Take time for reflection
  4. Risk: Purposely seek challenging situations
  5. Defend: Be open and avoid defensive thinking

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