Always Learning

I have participated in countless meetings and dozens of conferences in my professional career. There is almost always a set agenda heading into these gatherings (especially the conferences) and a desired objective coming out of them. The interesting thing I have discovered over the years is that I will almost always learn something "accidentally" through these meetings. There will almost always be something shared that stimulates my thoughts in a unique way or challenges me with a new perspective. The teachable moment probably wasn't the direct aim of the organizers, but it still ends up being beneficial to me.

It's a fairly solid principle for personal growth and development: be diligent in looking for learning opportunities on a daily basis. Personal interactions, news articles, random comments, blogs, books, and even meetings can teach you something new if you're receptive to the lesson. Take a moment at the end of the day and look back to make sure you didn't miss an important opportunity to grow as a leader.