Isaiah O’Connor

a 10 minute read

Welcome back to the third entry in my ongoing exploration of the vital concept of "Required Secondary Powers". This concept originates from the superhero genre, where heroes often possess secondary powers necessary to support their primary abilities.

The Importance of a Teachable Spirit

Today, we will be addressing the "Secondary Power" of having a teachable spirit. In life and especially in business, it's vital to continue learning and growing every day. This doesn't just mean sitting idle and waiting to learn when lessons come your way but actively pursuing growth and knowledge. As simple as this may seem, it's easy to become complacent or overconfident about the knowledge you already have.

A Personal Anecdote

Allow me to share a story that vividly illustrates this point. Growing up in a relatively small town, I took great pride in my navigational skills. Throughout my teenage years and into young adulthood, I confidently maneuvered through backstreets, skillfully avoiding the influx of tourists during peak seasons. I was certain of my ability to find any address without fail.

However, my confidence faced a significant blow when I landed a job delivering pizza. During one of my early shifts, I encountered a delivery address that completely stumped me. Despite it being on a familiar street, I searched up and down to no avail. Eventually, I humbled myself and sought assistance back at the restaurant, only to discover that the street unexpectedly dead-ended and resumed on the other side after skipping a full block.

Learning from Historical Figures

Some of the great leaders in history have been able to do what I struggled to do: swallow their pride so they could learn from others. One such example is World War II Double Ace pilot Robin Olds. After WWII, Olds assumed command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in Vietnam. Despite his status as a 44-year-old colonel and veteran double Ace pilot, he faced a new challenge: his experience was limited to prop planes, not jets. In a remarkable display of humility and leadership, Olds immediately placed himself on the flight schedule as a rookie. He willingly sought instruction from officers junior in rank but possessing more experience, demonstrating unparalleled humility and a commitment to learning and growth.

Practical Strategies for Cultivating a Teachable Spirit

Reflecting on Robin Olds' leadership exemplifies the importance of humility in fostering a teachable spirit. Now, let's explore practical strategies for cultivating this essential trait.

Embracing Feedback

To cultivate a teachable spirit, there are several key practices to embrace beyond humility. First and foremost is the willingness to be open to others' input, as exemplified by Robin Olds. This entails avoiding the trap of being a know-it-all and being ready to change your opinion when proven wrong—a challenging feat that, if everyone could do it, would revolutionize the way countries are governed.

Additionally, being receptive to criticism and avoiding defensiveness when corrected is crucial for growth, although admittedly difficult, especially when criticism comes from close sources like family.

Applying Key Principles

Moreover, it is vital to apply principle number 5 from the exceptional book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, which is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. One effective way to achieve this is through active listening, a skill that involves listening for understanding without distractions, such as checking your phone or thinking about upcoming meetings. It requires being fully present with the person you are conversing with and refraining from formulating a response while they are speaking.

While mastering active listening is challenging, it is a valuable skill that can significantly improve communication and relationships. Personally, one of my biggest struggles is resisting the urge to talk excessively, which is why I recognize the importance of active listening in fostering a teachable spirit.

Strategies for Fostering a Love for Learning

Now, let's explore some manageable strategies for fostering a love for learning.

Reading Extensively

For myself, reading is one of the ways I keep up my love for learning. Reading extensively is a common trait among the most successful individuals. And I do not think you need to only read non-fiction. There are a lot of books that use a story format to teach, such as "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Not to mention other fiction can still contain powerful lessons.

If time constraints hinder your reading, consider audiobooks as an alternative during activities like driving or household chores. Listening to audiobooks allows you to absorb knowledge while on the go, maximizing your time for learning.

Pursuing Curiosity

Also, if you have something that you're naturally curious about—whether it's gardening or nuclear physics—you can use it to drive your pursuit of knowledge. Delving into your areas of interest often leads to the discovery of additional topics to explore.

For example, if you love to garden, you may need a fence. Perhaps you don't have the money to have someone build it for you, so you do an internet search and look up videos on it and you build a fence. Suddenly, you may discover you enjoy carpentry and do more of it.

Leveraging Internet Resources

This leads me to how you can find fun ways to learn. Internet videos can be a great way to learn, especially if the presenter is skilled in entertaining you while you learn. For instance, I discovered Robin Olds through a YouTube video on a channel titled "The Fat Electrician" (Warning: some adult language is used in his storytelling, but he is an exceptional storyteller). When learning is made fun, it ignites a desire for further exploration.

Conclusion

To conclude our exploration of the teachable spirit and Required Secondary Powers, it's crucial to remember that learning is a lifelong journey. As we navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship and personal growth, humility, openness to feedback, and active listening are essential. Embracing curiosity and continuously seeking knowledge can elevate our endeavors to new heights.

If you've reached the end of this post, it's a positive indication that you possess a teachable spirit, and that's a wonderful thing. Given our frequent discussion of humility's importance in this post, it seems that humility is not only secondary to your main power but also secondary to more than one of the other secondary powers as well. Therefore, I have decided to delve deeper into it in the next post.

Question of the Week

So, let's reflect: how important do you think having a teachable spirit is, and how do you work on developing this power? Please reach out to us. You can join us on Patreon, chat with us on our Discord Server here, or simply connect with us on our Facebook page facebook.com/Atheozbusiness.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Entrepreneur
Isaiah O’Connor.

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Until next time, I have been,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Entrepreneur,
Isaiah O’Connor