The What, Why And How Of Learning

In his book, Education is Freedom, author James W. Keyes recaps his learned business lessons for top management and CEOs at companies of all sizes. He covers:

Discovering what customers truly care about. It’s convenience, not products.
Leading during times of turmoil.
Developing the confidence to try again after a failure, and to maintain composure in the face of critical media coverage.
Forming strategic collaborations to rescue a dying company.

Plus, Keyes states that Education Is Freedom provides the “what,” “why,” and “how” of learning. He outlines the importance of education for all humankind and the power of education to change our world.

Because of his lifelong commitment to education, Keyes founded the Education is Freedom Foundation, which provides college scholarships for hard-working young students. In over 20 years since its inception, the foundation has helped nearly hundreds of thousands of students find their path to higher education.

Keyes also served as chairman and chief executive officer of Blockbuster, Inc., from 2007 to 2011. And in his book, he shares much about his time at Blockbuster and that company’s journey, including this important insight in response to my question to him:

Question: Fair or not, “Don’t become another Blockbuster” is often a phrase used to warn business leaders to not let their business become obsolete or to not miss an opportunity to change their business model. What do you want business leaders to know about why that phrase may be unfair or why Blockbuster’s journey is misunderstood?

Keyes: Fair…but for all of the wrong reasons. Most people leap to the conclusion that Netflix killed Blockbuster…or that the company’s inability to change caused its demise. Both are incorrect. Within the Blockbuster story is a rich set of lessons for every businessperson but it has nothing to do with the change to streaming technology.

The real story of Blockbuster is a story of the importance of cash flow and balance sheet management during times of macro financial disruption.

“You’ll find...in Education is Freedom...personal anecdotes from my own journey, and the experiences of friends and those throughout history who have successfully used education to change their own life and to enrich the lives of others,” shares Keyes.

“The book is not a memoir, but instead intended to provide examples from my life journey to show what is possible even with seemingly impossible odds. It is intended to inspire others to accomplish the impossible and to use education as their path to freedom.”

Keyes calls his “C-Suite Learning” as the heart of his book and a valuable road map to help readers form a path to his/her own learning journey. The C-Suite Learning is:

What to Learn

Change: embracing change and growing from adversity.
Confidence: the inner strength that makes us believe in ourselves.
Clarity: making the complex simple through communication.

How to Learn

Critical Thinking: the algebra of thought.
Curiosity: discovering the joy of wonder.
Creativity: enabling our inner child; this is intelligence at play.

Why We Learn

Collaboration: leveraging the power of others working together.
Cultural Literacy: growing from the richness of diversity around us.
Character: establishing trust in ourselves and integrity among all.

One of the key takeaways from the book for me is where Keyes explains that companies must find ways to have everyone embrace open and honest communication. He states that building a culture of success also requires:

Engagement – Team members must be in or out. Even those on the sidelines for any given play must be engaged, at least mentally if not physically. The team must be fully vested in collective success.
Communication – from the top, from the bottom, and from peer to peer—is fundamental to the collective success of the team. Team members must feel comfortable communicating openly. They must feel safe expressing their ideas and trusting each other to fulfill their respective roles.

“Information sharing and the proactive dissemination of knowledge among the team will contribute to the culture of mutual benefit. This environment will reward competency and the open sharing of best practices. These behaviors result in a culture that those on the outside can see and feel. They will notice a group, a company, and a team, that can accomplish any task,” explains Keyes.

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

The Benefits Of When Everyone Leads

It’s only January and the new book, When Everyone Leads , could likely be my pick for the best new leadership book of 2023. It’s that good. There’s still nearly a whole year ahead of us so we’ll see what other books debut. In the meantime, add this book to your must-read list. You’ll learn that: Leadership is an activity, not a position. Leadership is mobilizing others to make progress on the most important challenges. Leadership is interactive, risky and experimental. Leadership comes in moments. Leadership is always about change. When Everyone Leads , by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride , presents a revolutionary approach to leadership; not based on position or authority, but an activity that anybody can undertake by learning to spot opportunities for improvement and taking the initiative to engage others. “It can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but in a culture where everyone leads, organizations start to make progress on their most difficult problems,” explain t

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

Five Must-Read Business Books To Read This Summer

Stumped for what business books to add to your summer reading list? Here are five must-read books for leaders well worth adding to your list: Lead With A Story -- A Guide To Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire . Author Paul Smith explains why storytelling has emerged as a vital skill for every leader and manager. In the book, you'll find over 100 ready-made stories you can use as templates to tell your stories. Stories are so powerful because they are simple, timeless, demographic-proof, contagious, easy to remember and inspiring. Most important, they put the listener in a mental learning mode. What's The Future Of Business? (WTF?) -- Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences . This book, by Brain Solis, details the incredible transformation happening in business today, driven by new social and mobile technologies. And, he explains how experience design helps your business and how you can harness its power for business growth. This book

How To Make The Leap To Becoming A Leader

Here’s another must-read book to add to your list as you transition from manager to leader. It’s The Leap to Leader , by Adam Bryant . As the creator of the iconic “Corner Office” column in the New York Times , Bryant has spoken with more than a thousand leaders over the years about the challenges and nuances of leadership. Many of his discussions are included in his interview series on LinkedIn. “The goal of this book is to provide an intensely practical guide to making that transition by sharing insights, stories, and approaches from hundreds of leaders to build the skills you will need to make the leap to leader,” explains Bryant. He adds that the book is useful to everyone who is interested in leadership, regardless of where they are in their career. The book covers: The central paradox of leaders: selfless vs. self-centered. How to perfect the do-to-say ratio. Ways to navigate office politics. Tactics to making better decisions. The crucial art of compartmentalizati

Seven Tough Questions To Ask Your Team

High-functioning teams can disagree and still produce excellent products and results. Team members can also disagree and still care about each other. And, they can challenge each other to think differently. Best-selling leadership book authors Scott J. Allen and Mitchell Kusy recommend that leaders ask seven tough questions of their teams to help maximize their results. Here are those questions to ask each team member: What are some obstacles affecting this team? What are opportunities we could take advantage of that we have been largely ignoring? Where can you take greater ownership on this team? Where have you let this team down ? Compared to other teams with which you are familiar, how are we doing ? When was the last time you complimented the team or one of its members? How open are you to giving direct feedback to team members?

How To Listen Effectively

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman 's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated To All In

Here is a book that provides workplace leaders an urgently needed methodology for helping companies to reduce worker loneliness, and it delivers a blueprint for building strong, high-performing workplace teams. The book is, Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated To All In , by Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen . “72% of workers suffer from loneliness. And, what was once a simmering problem shifted to a crisis when COVID-19 and the sudden transition to remove work isolated workers from each other as never before,” report the authors. “Loneliness is the absence of connection,” explain the authors. “Loneliness is not defined by the lack of people, because someone can be lonely even while surrounded by others. We require more than the presence of others. We require the presence of others to dream, strategize, and work toward commons goals.” Furthermore, “workplace loneliness is defined by the distress caused by the perceived inadequacy of quality connection to team

The Benefits Of When Everyone Leads

Today's FLASHBACK to earlier in the year: It’s only January and the new book, When Everyone Leads , could likely be my pick for the best new leadership book of 2023. It’s that good. There’s still nearly a whole year ahead of us so we’ll see what other books debut. In the meantime, add this book to your must-read list. You’ll learn that: Leadership is an activity, not a position. Leadership is mobilizing others to make progress on the most important challenges. Leadership is interactive, risky and experimental. Leadership comes in moments. Leadership is always about change. When Everyone Leads , by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride , presents a revolutionary approach to leadership; not based on position or authority, but an activity that anybody can undertake by learning to spot opportunities for improvement and taking the initiative to engage others. “It can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but in a culture where everyone leads, organizations start to make progress on

A Playbook For How Women Advance Within Business

Describing the new book, In Her Own Voice , by Jennifer McCollum , Anne Chow (former CEO of AT&T Business) says that “for women, the book does a beautiful job of explaining not just what to do to advance in your career, but also what to expect. For leaders, it helps you recognize the gap between what you think women seeking advancement want and what they really need.” Chow adds, “the book is based on the experiences of tens of thousands of women, with guidance that is applicable to every one of us, no matter where we are on our own unique journey.” McCollum divides her book into three parts: Understanding the hurdles to women’s advancement Overcoming the hurdles Eliminating the hurdles She professes that women have unique gifts and abilities. “Businesses need talented women, now more than ever. We need to do everything possible to engage, develop, and inspire them—and to advance them into leadership roles, all the way to the C-suite and board positions, if they so c

How To Be An Inclusive Leader

“No matter your title, or how advanced you already consider yourself to be as an inclusive leader, I believe this book will help you evolve and motivate you to take action,” says Jennifer Brown about her book, How To be An Inclusive Leader: Your Role In Creating Cultures Of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive . The book is the second edition of the bestselling title from 2021. This newest installment includes a new introduction and addresses challenges posed by the pandemic—including remote work, flexibility, and mental health. “It also gives increased attention to embedding equity, empathy, and anti-racism in the inclusive leader framework,” shares Brown. “I’m proud that this second edition will help leaders and organizations respond to the changes unfolding around us in relevant, culturally competent ways and take action to address systemic inequities that persist in the workplace.” In her book, Brown explores how power and authority are changing fundamentally. She explains tha

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog