Читать книгу Voices of Design Leadership - Ken Sanders - Страница 24

A wise teacher learns in the midst of teaching; a wise student teaches in the midst of learning.

–Mollie Marti⁶

Most leading design firms invest in formal learning programs for their talent. Professional organizations such as AIA and IIDA also require annual continuing education in order to maintain membership. Such internal and external programs can supplement the organic learning that takes place within project teams, and each can be calibrated to the clients, markets, geographies, and project types with which a firm is engaged.

Lifelong learning is more than curricula, however. It is the joy of curiosity and a desire to constantly learn from your clients, colleagues, friends, even the kid who lives across the street. As Austin Kleon wrote in Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, “if you ever find that you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.”

Personally, I enjoy the moments when someone changes my opinion and I always let them know it. I want people around me to feel comfortable and rewarded in challenging and influencing my perspectives. It is an important way that I learn, and I openly encourage it.

As a leader, how you react to opinions different than your own directly affects how frequently they will be shared with you. And design leaders need diverse opinions and perspectives. It does not mean you need to agree with them, but your decisions will be better informed and you will gain greater confidence in the intended outcomes.