As part of the introductions on the first day, we went around the room, and each person said what company he or she worked for and what his or her particular work was. When it was my turn, I introduced myself and said, “I’m president of Public Service Indiana.” My fellow participants looked at me with surprise. One student said, “Well, what are you doing here? This training course is for people who hope someday to be president.” All week, I was the standing joke.
I told them I wasn’t asked to do this job because I knew a
lot about utilities, but because I had a public persona that had some respect
around it as well as some management ability. All week we learned fascinating
things—like the physics section on how electrons flow—as well as practical
things, like what type of power each of three lines on a utility pole carries.
It’s an important difference to know if you ever plan to get up there on a
ladder--climb up on an aluminum ladder, and you’re gone.
Toward the end of the training session, we did a battery of
tests—mainly vocational testing--with a staff psychologist. Then we had private
conferences to hear the results. One of the things the psychology told me was,
“John, you’ve been around so long, you have insights. You ought to regularly
make those insights available to your people.” I took those words to heart, and
in my role at PSI, and beyond, I’ve tried to keep listening—that is, being a
learner—in balance with sharing my thoughts with others.
When you share what you’re thinking, you invite others—maybe
your staff, your managers, or your family and friends—to better understand how
you see the world. And when you listen to them in return, you may hear a subtle
but important alchemy happening as your idea inspires thoughts of their own and
becomes something new. This learning and sharing is how relationships grow, how
companies flourish, and how our society adapts, expands, and evolves.That type of growth just doesn’t happen if you stop learning and sharing. If you’re feeling like you’ve “already arrived” in an area of your life, maybe it’s time to learn something new. Challenge yourself. Listen to a new perspective. Try to master a new skill. As a learner, you’ll bring more energy to your team and experience more energy in your life. You’ll find you have more to share with others, as well.