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.

#2. Defends frequently.

Every conversation is a competition when your mind is closed.

#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:

1. It’s fun to know what others don’t. Admiration and respect are addictive.
2. There’s no time to allow others to learn how to solve their own problems. (As if incompetent dependence is a good thing.)
3. We’re on a power trip. Answers are power.
4. 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.

#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?

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This post was previously published on Leadership Freak with a Creative Commons License.

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