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Teachability Expands Your Talent By Dr John C Maxwell
hope this post is not too long tt no one wanna read it

If you are a highly talented person, you may have a tough time with Teachability. Why? Because talented people often think they know it all. And that makes it difficult for them to continually expand their talent. Teachability is not so much about competence and mental capacity as it is about attitude. It is the desire to listen, learn, and apply. It is the hunger to discover and grow. It is the willingness to learn, unlearn, and relearn. I love the way Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden states it: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

The good news is that we don’t have to have the talent of a Leonardo da Vinci to be teachable. We just need to have the right attitude about learning. To do that, consider the following truths about teaching:
1. Nothing Is Interesting If You Are Not Interested
It’s a shame when people allow themselves to get in a rut and never climb out. They often miss the best that life has to offer. In contrast, teachable people are fully engaged in life. They get excited about things. They are interested in discovery, discussion, application, and growth. There is a definite relationship between passion and potential.
German philosopher Goethe advised, “Never let a day pass without looking at some perfect work of art, hearing some great piece of music and reading, in part, some great book.” The more engaged you are, the more interesting life will be. The more interested you are in exploring and learning, the greater your potential for growth.

2. Successful People View Learning Differently from Those Who Are Unsuccessful
Teachable people are always open to new ideas and are willing to learn from anyone who has something to offer. American journalist Sydney J. Harris wrote, “A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others. A loser wants to be considered an expert by others, before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.” It’s all a matter of attitude.
There is much for us to learn— as long as we remain teachable.

3. Learning Is Meant to Be a Lifelong Pursuit
Learning is an activity that is not restricted by age. It doesn’t matter if you’re past eighty, like Cato, or haven’t yet entered your teens. Author Julio Melara was only eleven years old when he began to acquire major life lessons that he has been able to carry with him into adulthood and teach others.

Here is a list of all the jobs you will not find on his resume but lessons that have lasted a lifetime:

·Started cutting grass for profit at age 11
Lesson learned: It is important to give things a clean, professional look.

·Stock clerk at a local food store
Lesson learned: Making sure that if I am going to sell something, the merchandise needs to bein stock.

·Dishwasher at local restaurant
Lesson learned: Somebody always has to do the job no one else wants to do. Also, most people have a lot of food on their plates. (They do not finish what they start.)

·A janitor at an office building
Lesson learned: The importance of cleanliness as it related to image.

·Fry and prep cook at a steak house
Lesson learned: The importance of preparation and the impact of the right presentation.

·Construction helping hand (lug wood and supplies from one place to another)
Lesson learned: I do not want to do this for the rest of my life.

·Sold newspaper subscription for daily paper
Lesson learned: The job of rejection—had to knock on at least 30 doors before I ever sold one subscription.

·Shipping clerk at a plumbing supply house
Lesson learned: Delivering your project or service on time is just as important as selling it.

·Breakfast cook at a 24-hour restaurant stop
Lesson learned: How to do 15 things at once. Also learned about things people like to eat on their eggs.

·Cleaned cars at detailing shop
Lesson learned: The importance of details (washing vs. detailing). You can pay $15 just to wash the outside of the car or $150 to clean the car inside and out and cover all the details. Details are a pain, but details are valuable.

·Shoe salesman at a retail store
Lesson learned: To sell customers what they want and like. Also, learned to compliment people and be sincere.

·Busboy at a local diner
Lesson learned: People enjoy being served with a smile and they love a clean table.

4. Talented People Can Be the Toughest to Teach

If you cannot be teachable, having talent won’t help you.
If you cannot be flexible, having a goal won’t help you.
If you cannot be grateful, having abundance won’t help
If you cannot be mentorable, having a future won’t help you.
If you cannot be durable, having a plan won’t help you.
If you cannot be reachable, having success won’t help you.

This may sound strange, but don’t let your talent get in the way of your success. Remain teachable.

5. Pride Is the Number One Hindrance to Teachability

While envy is the deadly sin that comes from feelings of inferiority, the deadly sin of pride comes from feelings of superiority. It creates an arrogance of success, an inflated sense of self-worth accompanied by a distorted perspective of reality. Such an attitude leads to a loss of desire to learn and an unwillingness to change. It makes a person unteachable.

To know whether you are really open to new ideas and new ways of doing things, answer the following questions:

1. Am I open to other people’s ideas?
2. Do I listen more than I talk?
3. Am I open to changing my opinion based on new information?
4. Do I readily admit when I am wrong?
5. Do I observe before acting on a situation?
6. Do I ask questions?
7. Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?
8. Am I open to doing things in a way I haven’t done before?
9. Am I willing to ask for directions?
10. Do I act defensive when criticized, or do I listen openly for the truth?

If you answered no to one or more of these questions, then you have room to grow in the area of Teachability. You need to soften your attitude and learn humility, and remember the words of John Wooden: “Everything we know we learned from someone else!”

-SERENE!