Three Attitudes of a Lifetime Learner

Remember the day you graduated from college or seminary?

If you’re like most people, you probably thought, “I have completed my education!”

But that’s just not true, particularly for leaders. You can’t lead in today’s world if you think you’ve completed your education the day you stopped your formal time in school. Ministry requires a lifelong learning process. 

Proverbs 19:8 says, “Do yourself a favor and learn all you can; then remember what you learn and you will prosper” (GNT). Continual growth and learning are the best ways to care for yourself as a leader. If you’re not learning, you’re not leading. Scientists say that around our mid-30s, we often stop acquiring new skills. When was the last time you learned something new? It’s disheartening to see leaders who stopped learning years ago and have since grown dull.

Being a Christian leader means embracing a lifelong learning process. The term “disciple” literally means “learner.” Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me” (Matthew 11:29 NIV). Our job as leaders is to be disciple-makers. We can’t do that if we’re unwilling to keep learning.

Developing a lifetime pattern of learning is all about attitude. Lifetime learners look at life differently than others. If you want to stay mentally sharp for a lifetime, you need three key attitudes.

1. Openness: “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge” (Proverbs 18:18 NLT). It’s easy to drift into a closed mind as we age. Years ago, I ran across this list of “excuses for a closed mind.” If you regularly repeat some of these phrases, you probably need to work on being more open.

— We tried that before.
— Our place is different.
— It costs too much.
— We don’t have the time.
— We’ve never done it that way before.
— That’s not our problem.
— You’re right, but . . .
— We’re not ready for that.
— It isn’t in the budget.
— You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
— Let’s form a committee.
— It’s impossible.
— We’ve always done it that way.

Growing leaders simply don’t think like that. They are always on the lookout for new ideas. And they can learn from anyone—younger leaders, older leaders, non-leaders, educated leaders, and uneducated leaders.

Be open to saying, “I can learn from anybody, any place, any time.” That kind of attitude will help you prepare for any challenge you’ll face in ministry.

2. Humility: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2 NIV). To be a mentally sharp leader, you need to humbly acknowledge that you don’t know everything.

If you think you’ve got it all together and can’t learn anything more, you’ll struggle to grow. Pride is a stumbling block to learning.

Winston Churchill once said, “I love to learn, but I hate to be taught.” We all struggle with ego, and we must learn to keep it in check if we want to grow.

When my son Joshua was young, his favorite question was always, “Why?” Children learn so much because they’re not afraid to ask questions. They are humble and inquisitive. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NIV).

Too often, leaders avoid asking questions because they are afraid they’ll appear ignorant. But asking questions actually has the opposite effect. To grow, maintain an attitude of humility. Accept that you don’t know everything and be willing to learn.

3. Enthusiasm: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23 NIV). Think back to the classes you learned the most from in high school. They likely were the ones you were most enthusiastic about.

Enthusiasm accelerates learning. When you wake up each day, ask God to teach you something new. Be eager to learn from life’s experiences.

As a leader, you need to be a lifelong learner if you want to be all that God has called you to become. Develop attitudes of openness, humility, and enthusiasm, and you will never stop learning.