Learning Agility - The Missing Ingredient for Leadership Effectiveness
I never had a very high opinion of assessments until I introduced Emotional Intelligence and the EQ-i to a leadership group in Europe more than 10 years ago. Those leaders really related to the insights they gained from this self-assessment: their level of self-awareness, awareness of others and how their emotions affected their behavior. I still strongly believe that Emotional Intelligence is a key component to leadership success, especially if you can draw correlations from other data sources (e.g. 360 feedback, other assessments) to complete the picture.
But I always felt that something was missing with regard to applicability. What do people do with what they learned about themselves, or rather, can they do something with this self-knowledge? Yes, they can learn how to be more effective leaders from an interpersonal point of view. But how do they succeed in this world of continuous change, of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA)? How do they survive?
Then about 2 years ago I was introduced to the concept of Learning Agility by my colleagues at EASI•Consult®. They had established a partnership with Dr. Warner Burke, Ph.D., a professor and researcher at Teachers College, Columbia University, who created and validated a test that measures learning agility, called the Burke Learning Agility Inventory™ (Burke LAI™). I truly felt excited when I learned more and more about learning agility. So what is learning agility?
Learning agility is really about how flexible you are, how well you learn from past experiences, and how effective and fast you are in applying those learnings going forward.
The 2 key components of flexibility and speed are also illustrated in Legacy by James Kerr, a book I'm currently reading about the secrets to success of New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team. Therein he states: "The ones who will thrive in a world of VUCA are those who can act quickly and decisively to seize competitive advantage; adjusting and readjusting along the way."
HBR published a guide on how you can prepare for VUCA. But what skills do you need to execute on this model? That's where learning agility manifests itself. Exceptional leaders are flexible and agile and know how to handle change even if they don't have all the answers. They are not just able to learn, they are agile learners, meaning they are active and experimental.
So is learning agility 'learnable'? The answer is yes. You need to have a certain threshold of learning ability, which requires skill and motivation. Skill meaning the ability to learn from experience and how to apply that in new situations (able to decide what to do next). Motivation meaning the willingness to take risk, tolerate failure, and seek feedback. Once you have the motivation, you can work on developing the skills: how to learn faster and apply this learning quicker and more effectively.
Nevertheless, as Dr. Burke mentioned during an invited speech at Google Headquarters, you have to have a certain level of self-awareness and ability to self-monitor. You need to know what is holding you back, how you come across, where the challenges may be in order to make a difference in how you learn and how willing you are in being vulnerable enough to learn. That's where I see a perfect marriage of the Burke LAI with other instruments, such as an EQ-i or a Hogan assessment. As Burke stated, there is absolutely a relationship between personality and learning agility.
With respect to selection and development - whether for new hires, current leaders, succession or HiPo programs - we aim to identify leaders who are most likely to be effective and able to execute and succeed. We typically focus just on a minimum level of cognitive ability, technical skills, experience and certain behavioral requirements. However, there is zero correlation between technical ability and leadership effectiveness. And although certain behavioral skills are essential to being effective, what is missing is knowing how learning agile these people are. Because, Learning agile people have a higher likelihood to be effective. In these fast-moving, ever-changing times you have to be able to keep up with the external environment. Therefore, in addition to investing in someone who has the right behavioral competencies and at least a minimum level of technical and cognitive skills, you also you want someone who is able to quickly respond and determine the right course of action. Hence, they need to be learning agile.
Learning Agility is the Missing Ingredient with regard to applicability, ensuring that you can apply the information and not just 'know about it'.
For companies, it's about making the right decisions with respect to selecting and developing leaders.
The Burke LAI is a transformational tool to any to any company or business coach who invests in assessing and developing leadership effectiveness, especially in combination with other assessment instruments. Learning Agility is the missing ingredient. And when you recall the fact that behavior is contagious, imagine what an organization can become if it selects and develops leaders with learning agile behaviors. You will create a much more agile organization positioned for future success.
For more information about learning agility, the Burke LAI or how to get certified on the Burke LAI contact me directly or visit the EASI•Consult website.
Certification sessions are being scheduled throughout the country, with a session opening up for Denver in June 2018.
