Just as experience is a vast territory, so is leadership. No worries. CCL has studied leadership skills for as long as it has examined the nuances of learning from experience. There are many specific skills, or competencies, that leaders can apply to be successful. But when it comes to making the most of your experience, a few stand out.

That's good, because focus is important when you are trying to develop. Honing in on some core skills, especially if they're complementary or reinforcing, will get you farther faster than taking an “everything under the sun” approach. Don't try to change a dozen things simultaneously. Ambitious and well-meaning as it may be to try to develop everything at once, it simply doesn't work.

The skills we're highlighting are collectively named the Fundamental Four.

Note: Each skill has been assigned a color that will be used as a visual reference throughout this book.

Why the Fundamental Four? First, they've stood the test of time, and volumes of research reinforce their strong links to leadership effectiveness. Also, they're relevant to leadership at any stage in your career, at any level of the organization where you are a leader, and at any size corporation you may be a part of.

If you are seriously struggling with any one of these four, you may be dealing with the consequences of that at this very moment. On the other hand, if you are one of the few leaders on track to being highly proficient in all four, then you can attest to the many benefits they bring to your performance.

Chances are that among the Fundamental Four, one of them might be less familiar to you than the others. Learning agility is the relative newcomer of the bunch. Although there have been learning agile leaders throughout history, the particular skill itself came into clear focus as a result of the Lessons of Experience study. The actual term learning agility wasn't applied until some years later. If this is the first time you've encountered learning agility, then we are excited to introduce you to this intriguing and valuable skill.

As for the other three, you have probably already encountered them several times. We ask you to consider them from a fresh perspective, particularly with respect to how they play a role in making the most of your experience.

Because we're not just going to inform you about these skills but rather guide you in developing them, there are a few other things to note. These are “big” skills; you might call them meta-skills. So to help further focus your development, we're breaking each of them down into four subskills. Also, you can practice and develop the Fundamental Four in all aspects of your life as well as over the course of your entire life. This is especially important because you never truly master these skills but rather are always honing and adding to them with each new experience. And that, of course, is exactly what we hope you do.

So, let's give you a brief introduction to the Fundamental Four.

SELF-AWARENESS

Individuals lacking self-awareness live in a bubble. The bubble protects them from a world that at any moment might challenge and possibly upend the image they've built of themselves. What does this bubble insulate them from? It prevents: criticism, accountability for mistakes, an accurate understanding of both their strengths and limitations. From inside the bubble, the world appears as it should and reflects their underlying beliefs about themselves and others. Life inside the bubble, quite frankly, is pretty good.

Maybe it's missing a long-sought promotion, getting dropped by a major client, or even getting demoted or let go. Whatever the cause, the bubble is gone and the jolt of self-awareness that occurs can be quite unsettling. If you don't immediately begin trying to reform the bubble, then it can be a moment of profound learning and growth, albeit one that comes at a cost.

It doesn't have to be that way. To some degree, we all form our own bubbles, but self-aware leaders inhabit bubbles that are relatively thin, transparent, and permeable. They're vigilant in keeping them flexible in order to avoid the distressing “pop” that occurs when self-awareness is lacking.

Self-aware leaders approach the world with a degree of confidence similar to their thick-bubbled counterparts, but it's a confidence built of humility and understanding, not of arrogance and self-delusion. Self-aware leaders are confident because they know who they are, why they are, what they are reasonably capable of and not capable of, how their behavior affects others, and how others see them.

Self-awareness doesn't protect them completely from occasional self-inflicted mistakes or flashes of hubris. But they are able to avoid the often-significant peril that comes from overestimating strengths, being blind to major flaws, or completely misjudging their impact on others.

Self-awareness has many facets, but we'll focus on four, given their relevance to making the most of your experiences.

LEADERSHIP WISDOM

You can mine considerable wisdom from your experiences, but, like most mining, some digging is required. We'll give you a variety of useful tools and techniques to help you unearth your experiences and extract the rich insights that inform your understanding of who you are as a leader; insights that you can apply to the leadership challenges that lie ahead.

LEADERSHIP REPUTATION

At one time or another we've all heard the statement, “Your reputation precedes you” directed our way. Depending on the circumstances, our reactions might have ranged from satisfaction and pride to nervousness and embarrassment. We each have a reputation, shaped by others' experiences with us. The objective here isn't to change your reputation but to understand it, both through your own lens and through others' eyes.

LEADERSHIP IDENTITY

The American cartoon character Popeye had a signature phrase: “I am what I am, and that's all that I am!” Although it's true that Popeye would have done well to brush up on his influencing skills, we applaud him for his well-developed sense of leadership identity. It suggests that between gobbling cans of spinach and battling his nemesis Bluto, Popeye asked himself a profound question: “What (who) am I?” We'll invite you to do the same. In this particular instance, we'll ask you to frame your understanding of who you are in relation to who and what surrounds you in the present.

LEADERSHIP BRAND

If your reputation is what you have cultivated from your past experiences, then your brand is what you aspire to and what your present-day actions and intentions can support. Creating a brand that is sustainable and serves you well must first be authentic. This requires that you support your actions with a deep and accurate understanding of yourself.

If you currently lack self-awareness, then it may be the most difficult of the Fundamental Four to develop and maintain because the lure of retreating back into a thick, protective bubble can be difficult to resist. It takes some work to maintain a translucent and porous bubble, and life inside can have its uncomfortable moments. But it's far better than the alternative, which is that someday you will hear that dreaded “Pop!”

LEARNING AGILITY

Learning agile people are distinguished by their willingness and ability to learn from experience. But they also excel at applying those lessons to perform successfully in new and challenging situations. Put another way, learning agile people have “learned how to learn” from their experiences and have made a strong commitment to seeking new challenges that allow them to apply what they've learned and acquire new lessons for future application.

Learning agility differentiates those who are able to extract the most learning from any given experience and subsequently apply it. Learning agility also makes a difference in career success. Individuals higher in learning agility significantly differ from others on a number of outcomes. Specifically, individuals high in learning agility:

Over time, bosses and organizations often recognize learning agile people as having high-potential talent. As a result, they receive some of the most sought-after opportunities for leadership and career advancement.

Conversely, people who are less learning agile lack the versatility and adaptability of their more learning agile peers. They are capable of career success but typically within more narrow circumstances that favor a specific set of skills. It's when situations change and new skills and new approaches are required for success that people who are less learning agile encounter difficulties. They tend to cling to what has previously worked for them and don't recognize or heed the signals calling for new skills and new ways of doing things. The more resistant these individuals are to adapting, the higher the probability that they will derail.

CCL's research into learning from experience and the skills of those who excel at it has allowed us to decode the “unconscious competence” of most learning agile people and separate their abilities into four specific sets of behaviors.

SEEKING

Developing learning agility requires an intentional willingness to immerse yourself in new and challenging situations that broaden and expand your experiences. Learning agile leaders see new situations as prime opportunities for new learning and growth. Furthermore, they do more than just accept opportunities that come along. They seek out and embrace these opportunities.

SENSEMAKING

Learning from experience is a highly active and ongoing process marked by curiosity and a willingness to experiment. Asking “Why?” “How?” and “Why not?” are essential to gaining the insight and perspective that fuels learning. Failed experiments, and the setbacks and criticism that accompany them, are just a part of the ongoing journey for learning agile individuals.

INTERNALIZING

Learning doesn't end with the experience. Seeking feedback and taking time to reflect are critical for deepening insight and embedding critical lessons for recall and application. They also strengthen self-awareness, which is essential for dealing with future challenges in a realistic manner and staying open to new learning.

APPLYING

A lesson is not truly learned until it is applied. Learning agile people excel at adaptive learning—accessing principles and rules of thumb from previous experiences and applying them to navigate new and challenging situations. Swiftly adapting to new circumstances based on an understanding of what has (and hasn't) worked in other situations is at the heart of what distinguishes learning agile individuals.

As you've considered the four components of learning agility, you've probably thought to yourself, “That seems pretty basic. So what's the big deal? Isn't that something everyone does on a day-to-day basis?”

Yes and no. The four components do capture the basic pattern and progression of behaviors that inform experiential learning. But the difference is that people who are learning agile engage in these behaviors at a significantly higher level of skill and commitment. And because they are constantly engaged in learning from and applying their experience, they raise that level of skill and commitment on an ongoing basis.

COMMUNICATION

Let's be clear. Communicating as a leader is not merely about delivering your message. Nor is it just about understanding what others have to say. It's a “both-and” proposition. Effective communication occurs when you are both conveying your message in an intended manner and fully appreciating your audience's response. At the heart of effective communication is an exchange of information that results in shared meaning.

When communication is mishandled, every aspect of leadership becomes more difficult. Misunderstandings occur. Conflicts are either inflamed or left to simmer. Ambiguities remain unresolved. Trust erodes. Thus, leaders who struggle to communicate can find themselves isolated and frustrated with their inability to connect with others and get things done.

These specific communication tools will ensure that you are gathering the most shared meaning from your experiences with others; they represent a balance of being understood and understanding others.

ACTIVE LISTENING

Communication does not consist only of talking and waiting to talk. Engaging in the kind of meaningful dialogue that enriches experience requires you to focus your attention and ask the types of questions that stimulate the expression of others' thoughts and bring out deeper meanings.

GATHERING FEEDBACK

Feedback is a gift. It might not always feel that way, but it's one of the most valuable things you can receive from others. Because all feedback has value, it's important to know how to ask for it, how to interpret it, and how to apply it. When others recognize your willingness to seek and embrace feedback, they're more willing to provide it to you.

DELIVERING FEEDBACK

Delivering feedback to others is just as valuable as receiving feedback. If you want to foster openness and trust in your relationships, model those ideals in the feedback you provide to others. Being specific about the situations you are referring to, the behaviors you observed, and the impacts they had on you will ensure that people receive meaningful feedback messages.

COMMUNICATING YOUR VISION

An idea can't become a reality if it's never put into action, and action can't occur unless the idea is shared. Sharing with others the future you imagine brings clarity to your vision and gathers the energy and support of others. A significant part of that process occurs when you invite others to layer their own ideas and hopes onto yours, creating an inspiring vision shared by everyone.

We communicate all day, every day, so there is plenty of opportunity to practice and develop your skills. Approach your communications with focus and purpose so that you benefit from growing your skills and finding shared meaning.

INFLUENCE

CCL's research defines leadership as a collective social process. The outcomes of this process are direction, alignment, and commitment toward the group's overall goals. Achieving these outcomes is neither easy nor simple. One reason for that is any collective is made up of individuals, all with different needs, values, visions, and agendas.

Harnessing the group's capacity to achieve direction, alignment, and commitment requires leaders to apply a great many skills. One of the most crucial is influence.

All of us make our own decisions and are accountable for our actions. But we don't act in a vacuum; other people are an integral part of the mix. And just as we seek to lead others in a particular direction with particular goals in mind, others are attempting to do the same. That includes bosses, peers, direct reports, customers. There is no organization in which influence is not pervasive and ongoing.

Without the capacity to influence others, your ability to make what you envision a reality remains elusive because, after all, no one can do it alone. Without the ability to capture the hearts, minds, and energy of others, the truly important things in work and in life can't be achieved. These four influence skills will help you stay engaged in achieving direction, alignment, and commitment through your interactions with others.

POLITICAL SAVVY

Just because organizations are supposed to work in an organized and rational manner doesn't mean that's what happens. Far from it. In any organization, other organizations coexist simultaneously: the formal and the informal, the structured and the organic, the spoken and the unspoken. Telling these different organizations apart, understanding where they intersect, and navigating back and forth between them requires political savvy. Otherwise, you can get lost in the maze of experiences you encounter.

SELF-PROMOTION

Everyone you work with is bombarded with information. No matter your role in the organization or how long you've been around, it can be difficult to cut through the clutter. To shake things up and create new possibilities, you need to stand out and get people's attention. That means promoting yourself. The key is to do it authentically and for the right reasons.

BUILDING AND MAINTAINING TRUST

If you don't cultivate and sustain trust with others, then you aren't likely to accomplish significant work. If you're asking others to take risks with you and to choose the path you envision from among alternatives, then you need them to believe in you and your leadership. When trust isn't strong, you may get compliance with your needs but you won't get the commitment that leads to superior results.

LEVERAGING NETWORKS

The model for tomorrow's organization isn't a centralized grid or a series of hubs and spokes. It's a sprawling web that morphs in shape and size. In this dynamic and interconnected world, you need a network of relationships that functions in a similar way. Creating it and knowing when and how to tap into it requires some level of dedication and skill, but your network will be invaluable in generating the types of rich experiences that will fuel your development as a leader.

Despite the worthiness of these four skills, many of us, even long-time leaders, feel hesitant about influencing others, concerned that our actions might be misinterpreted as manipulation. There are two things to say here: First, context matters. Some approaches to influence are more appropriate and effective than others, depending on the situation. Second, you matter. If you are self-aware (as described above) and in touch with your motives and values, you can be confident that you are exercising influence in a responsible way.

Next, Chapter 3 aligns the subskills related to self-awareness, learning agility, communication, and influence with proficiency in rediscovering your past, seizing your present, and shaping your future.

SELF-AWARENESS LEADERSHIP WISDOM LEADERSHIP REPUTATION LEADERSHIP IDENTITY LEADERSHIP BRAND	COMMUNICATION ACTIVE LISTENING GATHERING FEEDBACK DELIVERING FEEDBACK COMMUNICATING YOUR VISION
LEARNING AGILITY SEEKING SENSEMAKING INTERNALIZING APPLYING	INFLUENCE POLITICAL SAVVY SELF-PROMOTION BUILDING AND MAINTAINING TRUST LEVERAGING NETWORKS