Students Always

“We are a community designed to support curiosity. We actively seek out diverse perspectives as part of our lifelong pursuit of personal and intellectual growth. There is always more to learn”.

The third of Berkeley Haas’ Four Defining Leadership Principles: Students Always – is a simple yet powerful affirmation that rallies our inner forces of curiosity and wonder, reminding us that no matter who we are or what we’ve accomplished, there is always something more to learn.

Those who embody the Student Always ethos aren’t afraid to venture outside the parameters of their core discipline to learn from diverse and unconventional sources. They also continuously seek to acquire new skills, spend time thinking deeply, and apply themselves in new directions. This allows them to learn from their actions, recognize patterns, and make connections that others might not.

Cultivating the Mindset

There are several qualities that those who exhibit a Students Always attitude possess. Though these qualities aren’t always innate or come easily to everyone, they can be cultivated.

• Curious
• Growth oriented
• Proactive

Curious

Curiosity is fundamental to the Students Always ethos and to effective leadership. A curious mind is more active, allowing us to see new perspectives, solve problems, be more creative, make better decisions, and learn faster.

Great leaders have a natural curiosity about the world around them; they ask questions instead of making assumptions and listen carefully when others speak to learn as much as possible.

Curiosity also has immense benefits outside of work. It is one of the most essential traits for success and happiness. Curious people tend to be more creative, open-minded, motivated, persistent, and confident than those who are not curious.

Our Harnessing Curiosity Worksheet contains a few simple prompts to help you identify novel topics and apply some curious investigations.

Growth Oriented

Being growth-oriented is a vital frame of mind for learning new things and a central activity for those who embody the Students Always ethos. Growth-oriented people believe that abilities can be improved with effort and that failure is not a sign of personal weakness. They are more open to challenges and less likely to be derailed by obstacles – which keeps them moving forward and trying new things rather than giving up after one setback.

Professionally, those who are growth-oriented will often go much further and have a greater impact than those who aren’t because they’re not afraid to take on new challenges and continually seek out opportunities, rather than just allowing circumstances to change around them or prospects to come directly to them.

For some additional guidance, access the Cultivating a Growth Mindset Tipsheet.

Proactive

New information and skills don’t do much for us until we apply them. This requires a thoughtful and proactive approach by taking charge of our learning and creating opportunities to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills. In doing so, we not only open up more avenues for growth but also fortify and enhance our current understanding.

When we actively apply what we’ve learned over time, we begin to build wisdom. Wisdom enables us to comprehend (and do) more: to understand where our current intelligence and skills can be applied most effectively, to remain thoughtful and flexible in times of turmoil and ambiguity, to notice patterns, and to recognize where else in our life we need more information or a deeper understanding.

Living the Principle

Living the principle of Students Always looks very different from person to person. Much depends on how one likes to learn, what learning opportunities they have access to, and how they use their new knowledge or skills. The list below provides some actionable ways to help clarify your learning opportunities and maximize your growth and contribution.

Recognize how much you have left to learn

No matter how far you’ve come and what areas of business or life you feel you have mastered, there’s always more to learn. Not only does our understanding in any area often represent only a tiny slice of what there is to know, but what was considered cutting-edge knowledge even a handful of years ago may no longer be relevant.

Take responsibility for your own learning

Whether approaching life and work with a ‘beginner’s mind,’ open to learning from all experiences, or with more directed efforts, being proactive and taking responsibility for one’s learning is critical.

Keep a ‘to learn’ list

A valuable activity to help guide learning efforts is to create a ‘to learn’ list. What skills will help you reach your goals, perform better in your role, or advance? List some thoughtful career-related activities but don’t limit your- self to those, or you may miss out on valuable understanding and insights from trying new things.

We’ve created the Applying New Knowledge Tipsheet to provide ideas for ways to organize and apply new learning.

Create a learning toolbox

As life progresses, it's common to slide back into a myopic view, centering Nowadays, there are numerous opportunities to access new information and acquire new skills. What is available online? In your local community? Are there opportunities to travel? Identify and record the learning resources available to you.

Put learning into practice

Learning something new feels great. We often come away from a conference or other learning event inspired by the latest tools and information we have been granted access to. However, unless we make a point to actively apply this new knowledge – it can disappear from our repertoire for good. When acquiring any new skills or information, identify how you might regularly use it and be sure to promptly follow through.

The Big Picture

Despite the Students Always ethos being an innately energizing state of mind for many people, it does take a certain optimism and emotional tenacity amid increasingly chaotic and troubled times. It’s easy to withdraw in this type of environment, cling to what we already know, and shy away from venturing into even more unknowns while so many are constantly thrust upon us.

However, overcoming this tendency to seek comfort is precisely what the world demands of us now.