I'm 56. I Hope I'm Still Changing At 66.

I've been leading since I was 19. I've told you the story before.

That's over 37 years of decisions, conversations, mistakes, opportunities, successes and disappointments.

You might imagine that the longer you lead, the less you need to change.

I'm increasingly convinced the opposite is true.

Particularly over the past 10 years, one of my priorities has been to remain willing to learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Learning is relatively easy to celebrate. Read another book. Attend a conference. Listen to a podcast. Ask someone for advice.

Unlearning is harder.

Unlearning requires me to consider that something I've believed, practised or perhaps even taught might need to change.

This doesn't necessarily mean it was wrong.

Sometimes a way of leading was exactly right for that season.

What's happened?

The people have changed.

The responsibility has changed.

The culture has changed.

I've changed.

The danger comes when everything changes except the way I lead.

This is why I've become increasingly interested in teachability.

Proverbs 9:9 says:

“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still.”

I love the assumption behind that verse.

Wise people are still learning.

I think humility sits underneath it.

Can I listen to someone younger than me?

Can someone challenge an assumption I've held for years?

Can I hear a new idea without immediately explaining why it won't work?

Can I say, “I was wrong”?

Can I change my mind?

These questions matter more to me at 56 than they did at 36. In all honesty, I had no thought to ask them then.

They also matter if I want to develop other leaders.

I cannot tell the people around me to take risks, think differently and keep growing while permitting myself to stay the same.

My teachability permits others to be teachable too.

This is one reason I'm developing the Lead You Collective.

I want to create a community where leaders don't need to pretend they've arrived.

A place to work on leading yourself well, leading from behind, and developing the leaders around you while remaining curious, humble, and open to change ourselves.

After all these years, I don't simply want to tell you what I've learned.

I want to be able to tell you what I'm still learning.

What are you doing because it's still right, and what are you doing simply because it's familiar?

What might you need to learn, unlearn or relearn?