By Erika Andersen

You can’t lead if you can’t learn. And not all adults learn that well. How to change that
Here’s a puzzle: Even though people talk about leadership all the time, and roughly eight kajillion leadership books have been published, we’re still plagued with fair to poor leaders in many, perhaps most, organizations.

Why is this? Part of the problem is that most of us, deep down, don’t really think it’s possible for an okay leader to become a great leader. We believe leadership ability is inborn. Either you have it or you don’t. Unfortunately, thinking something is impossible makes it very difficult to accomplish.

The other difficulty is that most adults aren’t very good learners. In order to become the best leader (or, actually, the best anything) you’re capable of being, you have to become a great learner. Here are the three things most required to be that kind of powerful learner:

Accurate self-awareness
To get better at something, you have to be clear about your current knowledge or capability. For example, I met someone a few months ago who thinks he’s a truly great leader, while nearly everyone around him sees him as a poor leader.

I call this kind of deeply inaccurate self-assessment The American Idol Syndrome, in honor of all those contestants who are convinced they’re going to be the next pop sensation but who can’t actually sing. Their lack of accurate self-awareness makes it nearly impossible for them to be open to feedback or learning.

In order to master anything, you have to start by being able to objectively assess your own current capability.

Curiosity
True curiosity is a very powerful thing, and it’s built into all of us. Anyone who’s ever been around a little kid can attest to that. Their endless asking of “why?” and “how come?” and “what’s that?” all arise from that impulse to investigate: curiosity. For children, curiosity is a powerful, instinctive survival mechanism. The more they understand about their environment, and the more quickly they understand it, the more likely they are to succeed as human beings. Kids’ insatiable curiosity drives them to learn to speak, eat, walk, and interact with other people remarkably quickly. It leads them to know what is dangerous and what is safe, what is delicious and what is disgusting, what is useful and what is pointless.

Unfortunately, many of us lose touch with that inborn curiosity as we become adults. We assume we understand things well enough, thank you very much. Also, our curiosity is often stifled by others. We’re taught, “mind your own business,” “don’t read ahead,” and “do what you’re told.” These are all clear societal messages to stop investigating the environment.

In order to learn to be a great leader, you have to re-connect with your innate curiosity. The best learners and the most successful leaders are continually asking curiosity-based questions such as, “How does that work?” and “Why is that happening?” and “How can I….?” and “What if…?”

Be willing to be not-good
This may be the toughest aspect of true learning. The path to being great at anything includes many, many points of being not great. Or even not good. That’s frustrating and embarrassing.

This is especially difficult for people who are smart and quick learners in general. The first time they run into something that requires real time and effort to master, where their initial efforts are clunky or incorrect, their impulse is to give up and go back to stuff they’re already good at.

Being able to keep going, and to work through incompetence, is essential to real learning of any kind. Real learning requires both being OK with our own initial ineptness and faith in our ability to get through it.

So if you want to get good at anything, you need to be realistic about where you’re starting from; unleash your innate curiosity; and be willing to be not-great before you get great. And the results are powerful: as a master learner, you have the key to becoming the best leader–or anything else–you can be.

Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus, a consulting and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. She serves as coach and advisor to the senior executives of such companies as GE, Time Warner Cable, TJX, NBCUniversal and Union Square Hospitality Group

by Amy Gallo

If you want to become a leader, don’t wait for the fancy title or the corner office. You can begin to act, think, and communicate like a leader long before that promotion. Even if you’re still several levels down and someone else is calling all the shots, there are numerous ways to demonstrate your potential and carve your path to the role you want.

What the Experts Say
“It’s never foolish to begin preparing for a transition no matter how many years away it is or where you are in your career,” says Muriel Maignan Wilkins, coauthor of Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence. Michael Watkins, the chairman of Genesis Advisers and author of The First 90 Days and Your Next Move, agrees. Not only does the planning help you develop the necessary skills and leadership presence, it also increases your chances of getting the promotion because people will already recognize you as a leader. The key is to take on opportunities now, regardless of your tenure or role. “You can demonstrate leadership at any time no matter what your title is,” says Amy Jen Su, coauthor of Own the Room. Here are several ways to start laying the groundwork.

Knock your responsibilities out of the park
No matter how big your ambitions, don’t let them distract you from excelling in your current role. Focus on the present as much as — or more than — the future. “You still have to deliver results in your day job,” says Jen Su. Adds Maignan Wilkins: “You always need to take care of today’s business so that nobody — peers, direct reports, or those above you — questions your performance.” That’s the first step to getting ahead.

Help your boss succeed
“You have to execute on your boss’s priorities too,” says Watkins. “Show her that you’re willing to pick up the baton on important projects.” Maignan Wilkins also suggests you “lean more towards yes than no” whenever your boss asks you to help with something new. Find out what keeps your manager up at night and propose solutions to those problems.

Seize leadership opportunities, no matter how small
Make sure your “let me take that on” attitude extends beyond your relationship with your boss. Raise your hand for new initiatives, especially ones that might be visible to those outside your unit. “This will give others a taste of what you’ll be like in a more senior role,” says Maignan Wilkins. It doesn’t have to be an intense, months-long project. It might be something as simple as facilitating a meeting, offering to help with recruiting events, or stepping in to negotiate a conflict between peers. You might find opportunities outside of work, too. You can sit on the board of a local nonprofit or organize your community’s volunteer day. “These activities send the signal that you aspire to leadership potential,” Watkins says.

Look for the white space
Another way to prove your potential is to take on projects in the “white space.” These are problems that others aren’t willing to tackle or don’t even know exist. “Every organization has needs that nobody is paying attention to, or people are actively ignoring,” Maignan Wilkins says. For example, you might be able to identify a customer need that isn’t being met by your company’s current product line, and propose a new one. Or you could do a quick analysis of how much a specific change would save the company. When you take on a task that no one else is willing to do, you make yourself stand out.

Don’t be a jerk
There’s a fine line between being ambitious and acting like you’re too big for your britches. “Don’t try to exert authority when you don’t have it,” says Watkins. Practice what he calls “steward leadership”: focus on what your team wants to accomplish instead of putting yourself first. Jen Su recommends “humble confidence,” showing appropriate modesty in your
role, while having the self-assurance to know that you will rise to the next level.

Be cautious when sharing your ambitions
It’s appropriate to raise your ambitions with your manager if you have a trusting, solid relationship, but frame them in a way that focuses on what’s best for the company. Jen Su suggests you lay out your accomplishments for the past year and then ask something like, “As we look further out, where do you see me continuing to make a contribution?” Watkins warns that these conversations shouldn’t come off as being all about you. Instead, engage in a two-way conversation with your boss. If you have the kind of boss who may feel threatened by your aspirations, it’s better to keep your ambitions quiet and prove your potential.

Find role models
Look for people who have the roles you want and study what they do — how they act, communicate, and dress. “Pick someone at the next level, someone similar to you, and find a way to work with them,” says Watkins. Volunteer for a committee they’re spearheading or offer to help with one of their pet projects. Identify behaviors that you can emulate while being true to yourself. “You don’t want to fake it,” says Maignan Wilkins. It might also help to study people who are stuck in their careers as examples of what not to do, Watkins says. Are they clumsy politically? Do they disrespect the lines of authority? Do they fail to make connections between departments?

Build relationships
There’s an old adage, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.” When you’re evaluated for a promotion, it’s unlikely your boss will sit in a room alone and contemplate your potential. She’ll rely on others to assess your ability, which means you need supporters across the organization — people who are aware of the work you’re doing. “If you find yourself walking down the hall with the most senior person at your company, be prepared to answer the question, ‘So what are you up to?’” Maignan Wilkins says, “Don’t take lightly any interactions that may seem informal. Treat every situation as an opportunity to demonstrate the value you bring to the organization and your knowledge of the business.”

Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review. Follow her on Twitter at @amyegallo

The Foundation for Community Association Research has released 2012 National and State data. Here are some of the highlights:

Four Reasons for the Growth of Community Associations

The Value of Collective Management. Americans largely have accepted the collective management structure of community association living. Similar restrictions often exist in rental apartment lease agreements and in zoning laws and building codes that govern traditional single-family, detached housing. In traditional housing, however, such restrictions are adopted and administered by public bodies rather than by association boards composed of homeowners who are elected by their neighbors to govern communities.

Privatizing Public Functions. Because of the fiscal challenges faced by many local municipalities, communities are often created with the stipulation that the developer will create an association that will assume many responsibilities that traditionally belonged to local and state government (e.g., road maintenance, snow removal, trash pickup and storm water management). This privatization allows local jurisdictions to permit the continued development of needed housing without having to pay directly for that infrastructure through property taxes.

Expanding Affordable Homeownership. There has been a persistent effort to increase the percentage of homeowners in America. Almost from their inception in the 1960s, condominiums have tended to serve as lower-cost entry housing, especially for first-time buyers. This was especially true of early condominium conversions in which apartment buildings were refurbished into condominiums. In today’s economic climate, achieving affordability is a perpetual challenge. Without the construction and operating efficiencies inherent in association development and operations, fewer Americans would be able to purchase homes.

Minimizing Social Costs and Fostering Market Efficiencies. Community associations not only maintain home values, but also reduce the need for government oversight and expenditures by providing services, assigning payment responsibility to homeowners and being responsive to local concerns.

Colorado bills limit HOA’s power to foreclose
Colorado legislators are considering two bills that would require HOAs to offer a payment plan for delinquent homeowners before pursuing foreclosure and expect community managers to be professionally credentialed. “It’s important to remember that HOAs are nonprofit organizations,” says Westwind Property Association Business Manager Jessica Hanson. “We’re not out there to make money off the hard times of others. Any way we can work with people to get them caught up on their dues is good for the whole community.” Community Media of Colorado/Centennial Citizen (Colorado)

Fighting rental properties

The Southeast University Neighborhood Association has been fighting back against an invasion for decades. “We’re not squeamish about living with students,” says Michael Stanton, head of the homeowners association, known as SEUNA. “The thing is that, if the current trend continues, there won’t be any families. In a matter of years, they’ll all be replaced by rentals.” But SEUNA’s fight is not so much against students, but the landlords that buy homes, divide them up, and rent them to students. Stanton argues that’s lowering property values and the quality of life in the neighborhood.  Innovation Trail (New York)

Arbitrator: HOA boards bear specific legal responsibilities
When a homeowners association isn’t meeting its duties to repair issues and maintain common property areas, it’s best for homeowners to attend board meetings en masse instead of contacting the association’s management company, arbitrator Donie Vanitzian writes. “Owners should put the board on notice that failure to make repairs is a potential liability to the association,” Vanitzian writes. “If no visible progress occurs, individual owners or any group of owners may choose to enforce the board’s obligations to repair by filing a lawsuit against the association and its directors.” Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)

Homeowner’s association seeks private well

A local homeowner’s association wants to drill a private well, transgress the public right of way and bore under public streets to provide irrigation and water for a private swimming pool. The Cascade Addition Homeowner’s Association wants to install five underground street crossings in the public right of way. HOA President Vince DiCastro said in addition to saving the HOA about $13,000 annually, the private well would allow the HOA to take its swimming pool and irrigation system off of city water, freeing up millions of gallons for other uses. The Norman Transcript (Oklahoma)

We can’t predict the weather, except we know it is getting wilder and weirder. Most of us are ill prepared in case a tornado, hurricane, flood, fire or simple electrical outage hits our homes. Likewise, most businesses – and most homeowners associations – don’t even have an emergency preparedness plan.

Can you make time for disaster preparedness?

Red Cross research shows that every $1 invested in preparedness yields $6 in times of disaster. To help organizations get started, it has developed a readiness self-assessment tool called www.readyrating.org

This 120-question self-assessment isn’t a pass/fail tool. Instead, ReadyRating is a FREE program helps organizations understand where they are on the readiness continuum, and it gives them tools to improve. The program involves six steps:

1. Commit to preparedness for your community or your property. This means getting your CEO and other top leadership committed to disaster planning.
2. Conduct a hazard vulnerability assessment. George Sullivan, an expert in disaster preparedness for the American Red Cross says, “A lot of people write an emergency response plan based on something happened to someone else.” If you don’t know what hazards you face, call the American Red Cross which can help you assess risk.
3. Develop an emergency response plan. “If already you have one, now is the time to revisit it and ask all the big ‘what ifs,’ such as ‘what if we’re no longer able to operate in this location?”
4. Test your plan. An untested plan is not a real plan – so go ahead and plan those drills.
5. Communicate about preparedness. Ask yourself, how can I make preparedness top of mind in my community, through newsletters and bill inserts.
6. Help others. By definition, a commitment to disaster preparedness is a commitment to helping others – so once you go down this path, consider adopting a local school or church, hosting a blood drive.

Are you prepared for disasters? How?