Leader to Note - Mark Scheinberg

I am not impressed by successful people. 

I am impressed by how people become successful.

Last month, my friends Ted and Katy at Leadership Greater Hartford introduced Mark Scheinberg during their Leaders in Focus series.  As I sat and listened to Mark talk about his experiences as founder and president of Goodwin College, I was impressed.  I found myself jotting down some notes as I realized that those I see as impressively successful people became that way because they are impressively successful leaders.  Mark's commitment to building a prosperous academic institution was apparent, but it was his energetic leadership and the not hard to miss trickle down effect that it has on his staff, that makes him my first 'leader to note' on Leadership Soup.

One of Mark's comments that I jotted down was about meeting people and introductions.  His point...we have a tendency to tell people what WE KNOW when we should be telling people what WE DON'T KNOW.  My immediate connection was to my own distaste for the 'resume introduction', and the fact that you'll bore the heck out of the people you meet trying to let them know how smart and important you are.  But it goes deeper than that...growth comes from continued learning, and a tremendous source of learning comes from other people.  Before you trick yourself into believing you have this one nailed, look out for the common traps.

It's not just about asking questions...
I meet lots of people every day that ask lots of questions. What I suspect in many instances is that these questions are more about proving how smart they are than about getting actual answers that will help them learn.  Next time you are sitting in a meeting and are about to ask a question, ask yourself about the purpose of the question.

Been there done that...
Thinking that you've done the job before, experienced the situation before, or heard the story before immediately cuts learning off at the knees.  Respect for someone else's perspective and understanding, and a recognition that your own experiences are not the only truth, will open up both you and others to mutual learning.

It's only appropriate that Mark's passion for education led to a leadership lesson for me, and he's a clear indication that it's not just about achieving the success but, more importantly, about how you get there.