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Guest: Scott Rodgers
Teachability Is A Must
LifeChurch.tv is a passion-filled, aggressive, ever-evolving organization. At LC, teachability is a must. Without teachability you probably won’t last 91 days at LC. Why 91? If you’re not teachable, during your 90-day review you might hear, ‘Thanks for coming, God loves you. And, thanks for leaving, God loves you.’ What we do is just too important.
Some people mistake experience for teachability. 10 years of experience + teachability = 10 years of experience. 10 years of experience - teachability = 1 year of experience, 10 times.
Here are some behaviors I’ve observed from those who are teachable:
- They ask for adjusting feedback. What can I do better? What are my blind spots? How would you approach this situation? Etc. Those without teachability don’t look for adjusting feedback, they look for a pat on the back.
- They live as a learner. They ask questions. They pursue knowledge. They make observations. They listen more than they speak (ouch!). They experiment with new ways of doing things. Those without teachability don’t live as a learner, they like to be the expert.
- They are not defensive. They don’t make excuses when receiving feedback. They receive it, process it, and adjust. Even if they disagree, they look to become more self aware. Those without teachability are simply defensive.
Are you teachable? I know I need to become more teachable.
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[...] April 27, 2009 · No Comments @scottrodgers is the guest blogger today on SWERVE. [...]
Great Post!!! I want to be teachable in everything I do…I look at life as a giant classroom and I am a simple student. I know NOTHING but I SEEK and cherish all I have been given!
GREAT post, Scotty Rock. Teachability is a MUST!
I hate learning the same lesson twice (or more than twice)!
I have had my struggles with this. I can tell you that I devour the teaching in most cases. But in my recent 180 day experience, I found increasing issues in my ability to respect the teacher.
This one burns a little. Is there not culpability in both directions here? Have churches ever lost good people (staff or members) because their teahers made some bad choices?
When you are selecting staff, what do you do to determine if they are “teachable”?
[...] The folks at Lifechurch.tv have done it again. Guest blogger Scott Rogers offers a short and excellent post on being [...]
Love this post!! I have aften found that I should listen and hear more then speak. I am working on it!!
I can improve…I often catch myself being defensive sometimes when I am correctly corrected for little things..I often catch myself trying to justify myself and have to just stop. I know i do it out of pride. Then again, I am 19 (haha jk, that was an example of me trying to justify myself!)
Great post! I like the experience and teachability example…very wise! Thanks Scott! In Christ!
And Kendra I definitely agree!
[...] 27 tags: church life, leadership, personal growth, values by katidid Check out Scott Rodgers terrific guest post on LifeChurch.tv today. If it doesn’t sting a little bit you are too perfect and should not [...]
Very true. I know a bunch of people with remarkable minds, incredible talent, and a heart for Jesus, but they aren’t teachable. Therefore, they’re extremely difficult to work with. They’re unchangeable, and they have the answer for everything (or a critic of everything) without ever realizing maybe they don’t have everything figured out.
Bob - great question. How do we see if a potential new team member is teachable? Overall, I would say by asking the right questions. Questions based on the thoughts here about being teachable are a good place to start. Ask them what they are learning. What mistakes have they recently made and what would they do different next time. Who do they know that most challenges their thoughts and ideas as a leader. Probe probe probe and listen closely.
I’ve found that teachable people usually have a healthy dose of self-awarness and (in general) are pretty secure in who they are.
Being a child of God, teachability is a must because God is always trying to instruct us in some way. The way we start out in life is so far from the way we need to be so each day we should be learning and evolving.
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Excellent challenge Scott! I hope I’m teachable - that’s why I visit various blogs like this - but, I’m sure that I also have MUCH room for improvement.
A disciple is a learner. You can’t make something you’re not and it’s clear that we’re all called to make disciples. So, being teachable is not a luxury or option.
Thanks Scott!
This will be a must-read for the Meadows Lifeschool tomorrow. Thanks for the great thoughts, Scott.
Stuart - Yes, it can go both ways. Being teachable isn’t only for the person being taught, it’s also for the person doing the teaching/coaching/mentoring/leading. Every day teachable moments can happen if we stay open to learning.
Chilly - thanks for stopping by. Keep up the great work in Detroit. Hope the Lions can do something with their new QB.
[...] need to be taught by God’s Word, but by the men and women who bring that message to us. Click here to check out some thoughts on teachability from [...]
Without question the essence of a great leader is the ability to be taught. My question is how do we as leaders lead others to be teachable, namely those in leadership. Often times our struggle is not with those over whom we are responsible, but those to whom we are called to lead beside. Great post.
What do you do if you are serving under a pastor who “thinks” he knows everything but the church has not grown, no salvations in 10 years and people walk out due to confrontation with him? Does being teachable mean that you are looking to people and organizations such as Lifechruch.tv, Northpoint, Willow Creek, or do we need to be teachable by our immediate authorities? I believe I have learned from him, but I struggle with advice on how to grow a youth ministry. What do I do?
Scott: Excellent post. I sent this to all of the police officers who serve as field training officers for our department. Since we seek to hire people who are already certified in our field, it is imperative that those we hire are teachable when hired, and remain as such throughout their career. Sometimes easier said than done, but if you want to grow you must remain teachable.
Great stuff Scott. That was a MAJOR thing I learned during my time on staff at LC.TV and it has taught me to always be open to being teachable in every area of my life. This encourages me to continue being teachable and shut my mouth when it’s time to learn
I know I jumped in late here but this post demanded a comment from me. As a pastor at lifechurch.tv and one who’s had to learn to become more teachable, i say “AMEN” to this post. Great insight Scott.
Terry - I’m glad to have added some value to your work in law enforcement.
LET ME KNOW. All of you guys were asking some great questions. I’d love to help in any way I can. Some of the above questions would be best addressed with more personal attention. If you want to talk, send me an email at scott.rodgers@lifechurch.tv. Then, we can connect on the phone or TokBox, etc. I’m looking forward to it.
Scott this was indeed a good post. You really motivated me to make some hard choices with my own unteachables so to speak on my staff this week.
Great Stuff! I need to be more teachable. Great analysis tool too for staff and volunteers…mmm mmmm GOOD wisdom!
Teachable is a matter of listening and then applying the information to your daily life. It is my goal to make this happen.