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In today’s episode of the Leader Fluent Podcast, I’m talking about, “Eight Pitfalls of Teachability.”Teachability is critical to long-term success, but there are also a series of pitfalls that can undermine a teachable spirit. That’s what we’ll uncover in this episode of Leader Fluent. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Authors Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller once said, “Growth in wisdom has no formula, but it almost always involves at least one of four elements: rigorous self-evaluation, honest feedback, counsel from others, and time.” In other words, when we do these four things, we exhibit a spirit of teachability. 

Author Roger Seip describes what he calls a “Teachability Index.” His teachability index is a simple but powerful equation: Desire to learn x Willingness to change = Level of Teachability. According to Seip, if you assign a number (on a scale from 1 to 10) to your desire to learn, and a number (on a scale from 1 to 10) to your willingness to change, you can come up with your teachability index in many areas of life. 

For example, if you score a nine (on a scale from 1 to 10) in your desire to learn about leadership, and you score an eight in your willingness to make changes so that you’ll become a better leader, then you have a score of 72 on the teachability index in the area of leadership (9×8=72). Again, Desire to Learn x Willingness to Change = Level of Teachability. 

Eight Pitfalls to Teachability

1. Pride: You Think You Already Know

Most of us don’t like to admit, “I don’t know.” But true teachability is grounded in humility. Proverbs 11:2 says, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” And Galatians 6:3 says, “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” 

2. Past: You Rely on Yesterday’s Success 

Too often we let tried-and-true methods squelch new and improved opportunities. But if we’re not careful, we can turn yesterday’s success into an idol that robs the future of its potential. If you’re relying too much on yesterday’s success, one day you’ll wake up in a graveyard of irrelevance. Let truth and wisdom guide you, but when it comes to methods and strategies, honor the past but be loyal to the future. Otherwise, the past will try to deceive you into thinking yesterday is the best way. 

3. People: You Don’t Surround Yourself with New Voices 

We love to be around people who think like us, act like us, talk like us, and lead like us. The problem is, when “us” is outdated, irrelevance becomes the master teacher. As author Andy Stanley says, “If you are surrounded long enough by people who think like you think, you will become more and more certain that’s the best way to think.”

4. Professionalism: You’re Already an Expert

One of the biggest roadblocks to tomorrow’s teachability is the belief that you’re already an expert, and therefore you already have the answers. Take Nobel Prize winners for example. Daniel McFadden, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2000, said, “If you’re not careful, the Nobel Prize is a career-ender. If I allowed myself to slip into it, I’d spend all my time going around cutting ribbons.” And Nobel Literature winner, T.S. Eliot, said, “The Nobel is a ticket to one’s own funeral. No one has ever done anything after he got it.” To remain teachable, you just might have to unlearn some false assumptions so you can relearn some new insights. Don’t let your expertise be the thing that undermines future learning. 

5. Plateau: You’ve Lost Your Passion and Curiosity for Growth

Just because you grew, doesn’t mean you’ll grow. In other words, yesterday’s growth doesn’t guarantee tomorrow’s growth. The apostle Paul said it like this when he was writing to his young apprentice Timothy: “Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come…Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8, 15).

If you lose your passion and curiosity for growth, a teachable spirit will vanish, and you’ll eventually arrive on a permanent plateau. Do everything in your power to avoid this pitfall. As Paul said, “Give your complete attention to these matters.” 

6. Price: You’re Unwilling to Pay the Price for Growth

One of the things I’ve discovered about personal growth is that the longer you grow, the more expensive growth will become. And this is true in every sense of the word. Growth will become more time intensive, because you’ll have to practice deeper thinking. Growth will become more financially expensive, because you’ll have to pay more to get in the rooms with the highest levels of coaching and training. Growth will become more painful, because you’ll recognize the sacrifices you have to make in order to grow to a new level of impact. There’s a price to remaining teachable; the question is, are you willing to pay the price? What price for personal growth have you been avoiding? 

7. Perspective: You Don’t Mine Lessons out of Failures

One of the greatest teachers you’ll ever have will be your failures. But unfortunately, too many people don’t harvest the lessons this teacher sends our way. Instead, we often view failure as nothing more than an event, an obstacle, an inconvenience, or a permanent roadblock. But if failure is never given permission to teach, you’ll silence the very lessons that might hold tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Failure offers us great perspective, but you have to be willing to listen to its voice. 

8. Predictability: You’re Resistant to Change

What does predictability do? It offers a sense of stability and assurance. But if we hang on to the predictable too much and too long, we’ll resist the changes that are necessary to grow and mature. In other words, predictability can put teachability out of business. 

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