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We Are All PlebesThis past weekend in Annapolis, where I live, marked an annual rite of passage particular to our town, Parents’ Weekend at the U.S. Naval Academy. Every year in the last week of June, a new class of midshipmen shows up at the Academy for their
“Plebe Summer,” during which they will be transformed from your standard-issue teenager to a spit-and-polish military officer –in-training. Six long, hard weeks later their parents see them for the first time since dropping them off at the Academy gates, catching their first glimpse as their son or daughter marches as part of the class formation. You can almost hear the parental gasps of amazement all the way across the harbor.
Watching this yearly ritual once again over the past few days with equal measure of awe and amusement, I’m reminded of an important aspect of leadership that a number of my coaching clients have been exploring lately – who they are as learners. As a coach and a teacher of coaches, I am very mindful of the necessity of approaching any new learning with what the Buddhists call “beginner’s mind.” Adopting the stance of
knowing little or nothing in a particular domain prepares the mind to receive new awareness, new perspective, new possibilities, and new knowledge. When we come to a new experience this way, we are open to a whole spectrum of possible understanding. And yet many leaders, who have typically been promoted and rewarded for a particular set of knowledge and skills, are caught in the illusion that they know the “right” way, or
the “only” way, or the “best” way to take action or solve a problem. Based on what they think they know already, they jump to conclusions without bothering to explore what might be different this time. Their self-identification as “the expert” literally blinds them to alternative explanations, other possibilities, even new facts. They are imprisoned in their own unconscious incompetence.
The best leaders are those who know they are lifelong learners, and therefore, in some way they are always beginners. Among the many lessons of Plebe (short for plebeian) Summer is that no matter how much you excelled in high school – academically, athletically, socially, in your extracurricular activities – here at the Academy you are a beginner in a whole new world, in every possible way. It is said to be a humbling
experience, and at the same time, it prepares these bright young people for the enormous challenges ahead of them both in school and in the service. Their first lesson is a lesson about what it takes to be a real leader, one who others will willingly follow, even into danger: an open mind, an inquiring intelligence, a sense of who they are no matter where they are, the knowledge that they always have a lot to
learn. The best of this new group of plebes will graduate in four years with those same qualities intact, and they will carry them into the assignments that follow, and throughout their careers. We could all do with more of the beginner’s mind exemplified by these emerging young leaders. The first step might be the internal shift from unconscious to conscious incompetence:
I now know that I don’t know. The second might be a declaration: I am a beginner in the domain of X, Y, or Z. The hardest work will be staying in beginner’s mind, resisting the temptation to be the know-it-all you have always been. You can push yourself to stay open by trying new experiences, new ways of doing things, new methods of learning. Recognize your beginner status and revel in it! That’s always where your learning edge will be. Coaching can help you find your learning edge as a leader. Let’s talk. Call (410)626-6008, or email info@bloomfieldassociates.com. 
To experience what beginner’s mind feels like, sign up for a course or some
lessons in some activity you have always been interested in, but never got around to doing: papermaking, Latin dance, or bocce, for example. Notice the emotions that arise in you as you register, attend the first lesson, and practice the new moves you learn. When you reach a certain level of proficiency, challenge yourself to step up a level and declare yourself a beginner there.
To build your capacity for beginner’s mind, you may wish to make it your
practice to try something new like this every so often, but regularly. When you’re always a beginner in some new domain of your life, it will become easier to see how you are a beginner in other domains as well. |
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Americans average about 100 hours commuting each year, about 20 hours longer than
the average vacation most U.S. employees receive each year.
A recent research report by Gartner Inc. predicts the end of the 40-hour workweek as soon as 2015. “Retiring baby boomers, working-age mothers and Generation X workers are seeking better work/life balance to juggle personal, family and community responsibilities,” and traditional work structures are inhibiting people’s ability to achieve
this, according to the report. By switching from 40 hours to a shorter schedule, Gartner argues, organizations will be better able to attract and retain qualified people.
According to a recent study by tech research firm IDC, about 112,000 home-based customer service agents are now working in the U.S. IDC predicts that number will grow to 300,000 - or roughly the population of St. Louis, Mo. - by 2010. The IDC study found
that the typical cost to employ an agent in a call center is $31 per hour, versus $21 per hour for someone working from home. 
Re-Careering Experienced baby boomer professionals are seeking new opportunities instead of
retiring, and many are changing professions, a trend labeled “re-careering” by executive recruitment firm Korn-Ferry. 
 True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, by Bill George with Peter Sims. What I like about it: Based on interviews with a range of leaders including CEOs and those just starting out in their careers,
this book offers some great insights into how authentic leaders discover and stay true to their own inner compass, and how some lose sight of it and derail. There are also some interesting observations about the importance of staying grounded and integrating your life.
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates Share what you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the title and
author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to you or your website. |
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“When we are not sure, we are alive.”
-- Graham Greene | |
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