Sunday 1 July 2018

The Really Great CEOs Share One Trait: They Are Learning Machines

John Maxwell says “The person who knows HOW will always have a job; the person who knows WHY will always be the boss.”


A mind that is curious and open to learning often grasps new things faster. People who are quick learners have a natural ability to notice trend changes and catch the pace and pivot their plans according to the need in the market.

In an interview Marc Andreessen shared, ‘I think skill acquisition, literally the acquisition of skills and how to do things, is just dramatically underrated.’ A founder in his early 20’s is expected to play multiple roles. The truth of the matter is; it only comes with learning and acquiring a lot of skills really quickly.

Brad Feld talks about why he invest in CEOs who are a learning machines, (https://www.feld.com/archives/2014/01/invest-ceos-learning-machines.html) how he enjoys interacting with them since they are constantly asking questions and draw from his broad range of experience to solicit data for themselves that will be used as input into their mind. A CEO is expected to not only to collect new information but to process it, glean from it and apply it to real world issues.

AT&T CEO and Chair Randall Stephenson once told the New York Times, “There is a need to retool yourself, and you should not expect to stop….People that do not spend five to 10 hours a week in online learning will obsolete themselves with the technology.” 

A great CEO is required to take risks. Learning new skills helps to take pre-emptive actions and make a quality decision. Learning is a catalyst for growth at an organizational as well as personal level. 

In an age when information is exploding and AR, VR and AI is the future the only way forward is embracing the technology and learning to evolve and adapt to the market trends.