“In their book, ‘The Leadership Machine’, Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger’s discuss ways to build leaders and develop leadership competencies (skills) in any organisation. This identifies a “high potential” person, meaning someone who has an open willingness and ability to learn what is required for first-time, challenging conditions.
This also fits with our own research here at PRISM and our understanding of how the brain works, put simply because our brains are wired for survival reasons – to pay attention to the negative and setbacks – it becomes a fertile ground for self-criticism and failure. Learning agility is about adopting a different mindset – a learning mindset – to help you shift from focusing on the negative to recognising how setbacks can be catalysts for growth. People who have strong learning agility attempt to gain more experiences and more solutions which they can draw on when faced with new challenges.
Learning-agile people exhibit four common traits which correlate to the PRISM behavioural quadrants:
They are critical thinkers who examine problems carefully and make fresh connections with relative ease – correlates to PRISM Gold.
They know themselves well, leverage their strengths effectively and know how to compensate for their weaknesses – correlates to PRISM Blue.
They like to experiment and are comfortable with the discomfort that comes from change – correlates to PRISM Green.
They deliver results in first-time situations through personal drive and co-operating with others – correlates to PRISM Red.
Learning agility manifests itself in several ways. Learning-agile people have more ‘tools in their toolkit’ for problem-solving. They can use the analytical-systemic side of the brain as easily as the creative-emotional side. They can sort out what needs immediate action from the more visionary and strategic issues. In addition, they have results agility. They can build teams, as well as exhibit personal drive and presence. It is from this team-building skill they derive their people agility. They are comfortable with themselves as well as with diverse populations. Most are open-minded and non-judgmental about people. They project a peer attitude toward most, and their ability to deal with change allows them to know which battles to fight and when to embrace consensus. Finally, they are conflict agile, knowing when to avoid, accommodate, compete, compromise and collaborate.
Applying the VUCA model as a framework may enable organisations to identify and foster the leaders their organisations need now and in the future.”