Leaders Learn

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Dear Student Leader,

Prioritize learning. It’s a simple recommendation, but a complex component of sustaining growth and development.

Reading books and taking courses that deepen knowledge and strengthen skills are crucial to achieving success in business, social movements, and education. Implementing the structure and maintaining the discipline to make time for learning are challenges.

Set aside time and identify a quiet location to improve your ability to comprehend, evaluate, and apply information.

Two days after Good Friday, these thoughts came to me.

On Easter Sunday, I sat in the backyard, read a book, and wrote the draft of this post. Unlike my childhood, where the morning would have been spent seated on a crowded pew at church, I stayed at home. These days, most weekends include swim meets, soccer matches, and long runs.

The opportunity to rest on the weekends is a luxury I don’t often give myself.

Sunday started per my usual routine- a before-5 am rise, prayer, reading, and writing. During marathon training season, I would have either headed to the gym or gone out and run. Without a race on my calendar, I soaked in the emptiness of the recovery phase.

A few hours later, my wife asked me if I wanted to go out for an easy run. Despite the temptation, I stuck to my plans and declined the offer. The warm weather almost made the moment blissful.

I read some more and then decided to practice yoga.

After last week’s post, where I shared about Chavéz’s crimes to molest girls on a yoga mat in his office, I haven’t been able to break the association. I’ve thought about his disastrous decisions to harm others, even as he engaged in “good trouble” on behalf of farmers.

The late congressman and leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis, advocated for “good trouble.” It was how he described engaging in civil disobedience to correct an oppressive system. In 2020, he left a legacy of courage and noble leadership.

Lewis protested injustices and observed the movement's trappings to avoid the failures of other civil rights leaders. His ability to stop and think enables many of us to remember him fondly.

Pausing to learn can serve multiple purposes. Reading and enrolling in courses can empower you to make more informed leadership choices. More knowledge and enhanced skills are the byproducts of prioritizing learning activities.

Dear Student Leader, create the structure to support growth. Make a learning schedule and find accountability.

Although 2026’s blog posts are addressed, “Dear Student leader,” I see each entry as a conversation that I am having with students, faculty, staff, and executives. These writings serve as a call to humility and a means to encourage a growth mindset. They are for you and me.

Every week, these posts force me to learn something to share with you. They also offer me a structure for practicing creative writing. Without this public display of ideas, many of my perspectives would die on the pages of my journals.

While Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ, I don’t anticipate anyone will resurrect my private writings into a public space.

This blog empowers me to make a virtual imprint while I am still capable. It further provides an opportunity to motivate and inspire you to make the best of your time on earth.

Forbes posted an article about the wealthiest women in 2026. While some found wealth by inheritance, marriage, or divorce, others created it by building valuable products and services that have enhanced our lives. I’ve never met any of the women on the list, but I know learning played a role in their success.

If you only do one thing this weekend, make time to learn something new for at least ten minutes. Enroll in this leadership course offered through a partnership with the South African Foundation for Professional Development and the University of Manchester Alliance Manchester Business School. I contributed a module in the “Meet the Expert” week of classes. Tuition fees appear in ZAR, the South African Currency.   

Subscribe and learn more about the Advanced Management Leadership course next week. Use code AMP22026 for a special rate if you register before next week.