Turbulence opens the mind of the wise and congeals the brain of the convinced.
A closed mind gets stupid as time passes.
Perhaps current knowledge was enough when the world seemed stable, but learning is necessary in changing environments and turbulent times.
A leader with a closed mind:
#1. Judges quickly.
A closed mind finds security in superiority.
#2. Defends frequently.
Every conversation is a competition when your mind is closed.
Defensiveness is the need to be right on steroids.
#3. Listens intermittently.
A closed mind is so busy listening to itself that it has no room to listen to others.
#4. Answers constantly.
Quick answers for people who – could and should – find answers for themselves are pernicious solutions.
4 reasons we answer quickly:
- It’s fun to know what others don’t. Admiration and respect are addictive.
- There’s no time to allow others to learn how to solve their own problems. (As if incompetent dependence is a good thing.)
- We’re on a power trip. Answers are power.
- We love to control rather than liberate.
#5. Reads rarely.
Close-minded leaders don’t need to read. People who write books are idiots anyway.
#6. Changes infrequently.
Learning hasn’t happened until something changes. A closed mind seeks confirmation, not learning.
The absence of change is death.
Thinking you know when you don’t is malevolent in changing environment.
A closed mind knows others need to change.
#7. Self-reflects intermittently.
A closed mind has no reason to practice self-reflection. Instead it takes comfort in the faults and frailties of others.
#8. Interrupts regularly.
The burden of knowledge creates blabber mouths.
#9. Questions aggressively .
Questions are swords for cutting others down when you’re a knower instead of a learner. A know-it-all asks questions to prove others wrong.
#10. Brags habitually.
A closed mind needs to prove it’s brilliance by out-doing and out-shining.
Which item on the above list would you like to confront in yourself?
Which item on the above list seems most pernicious?
