Several people have asked me to share key lessons learned throughout my career. I keep coming back to one that stands out – “Be a learn-it-all”! Being a learn-it-all requires daily practice and adjustment of your mindset. I hear many people verbalize this concept, but only a small percentage demonstrate this behavior consistently.

Here are a few example of what it looks like to be a learn-it-all:

1)  Listen actively to your colleagues and be curious, try to understand the message they are conveying and why.

2)  Don’t think that your methods, your opinion, your ways of working are the ONLY or BEST ways to get things done, seek critical feedback from others and then apply that feedback.

3)  Be quiet and observe, I believe there is a reason we have two eyes, two ears and one mouth.

4)  Have empathy and sincere concern for your colleagues, try your best to see situations and issues from their point-of-view before you make a decision on how to proceed.

5)  Pause-think-act, in other words make use of the space between stimulus and response – thoughtful choices on the words you use and the actions you take are key to collaborating and learning from others

I urge you to take some time to self-reflect on how you can make “learning -it-all” real in your everyday interactions!