I just finished reading Kevin Kruse’s new book, Great Leaders Have No Rules: Contrarian Leadership Principles to Transform Your Team and Business. Once again Kruse lays out thoughtful, practical, advice for viewing leadership in a new light. As Travis Bradberry said. “Kevin as a remarkable ability to spot where leaders lead themselves astray and turn this knowledge into simple actions any leader can take to change the course…”

The book is outlined here by chapter:

1. Close your open door policy
2. Shut off your smartphone
3. Have no rules
4. Be likable, not liked
5. Lead with love
6. Crowd your calendar
7. Play favorites
8. Reveal everything (even salaries)
9. Show weakness
10. Leadership is not a choice

Like me, you will probably buy this book to learn and change. You see a gap between the leader you are and the leader you want to become. Recognizing that gap is the first step. Learning and doing is the next step.

I used Learning Frames to reorganize this book into a personalized learning plan.

Learning Frames is a simple yet powerful cognitive alignment model that helps you create effective learning experiences. Based upon proven neuroscience and instructional design principles a learning framework will:
• Give you a sustainable mindset for learning
• Give you the tools and methods to overcome learning bias and increase your ability to learn
• Give you a framework that empowers you to increase your potential through acquiring knowledge, skills, and an empowering your learning potential

How to build a learning frame in 5 easy steps:
1. Create a Learning Goal
2. Define the Reason for learning
3. Analyze your ability to learn and your baseline knowledge
4. Make a plan or Stratedgy to achieve your learning goal
5. Be accountable for what you know and Evaluate what you still need to learn to achieve your learning goal

Create a Learning Goal
A learning goal is the fuel for Learning. Most people have never set a learning goal before they read a book on leadership or any self-help topic.
Here is why you should!
Psychologist and Professor Carol Dweck’s research concluded that “Learning goals trigger entirely different chains of thought and action from performance goals. A focus on performance instead of on learning and growing causes people to hold back from risk taking or exposing their self-image to ridicule by putting themselves into situations where they have to break a sweat to deliver the critical outcome.”

Performance Goals vs. Learning Goals

Which goal should you set first?
Which goal will make you humble enough to confront your bias, habits and knowledge gaps that are keeping you from becoming a great leader?

I propose that the number one reason people fail to achieve their goals is because people focus on ability and performance rather than acquiring new knowledge and skills first. Those who learn to succeed have a mindset for active, lifelong-learning as they work toward their aims.

As Scott Adams wisely said: [my commentary]
“Goal-oriented people exist in a state of continuous presuccess failure at best, and permanent failure at worst if things never work out. Systems people [Learning Goals people] succeed every time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to do [they learn and continue to learn].
The goals people are fighting the feeling of discouragement at each turn. The systems people [Learning Goals people] are feeling good every time they apply their system [Learning Frames].”

After you set your learning goal use this table to map the content of the book to your Learning Frame:

How do we learn?
In order for this book to permeate your life you need to own it. Casual reading devoid of metacognition will not prompt change. In simple terms: Learn the price of success and then pay it.

Learning Frames for Great Leaders Have No Rules will help you:
• Elaborate upon these principles to change and increase your leadership
• Create new neuropathways of learning
• Manage and audit your behavior as you strive toward your learning goal
• Create a personal learning path to maximize your time

Learning to how to lead well will fulfil the purpose of Kevin Kruse’s book and using Learing Frames will help you become a more active, targeted learner, which will change your world.

Here are some resources:

The Value of Failure is an unconventional book that will give you insights into the nature of failure and help you learn how to pivot your life back on track.

Learn more click here.