Leading by Example: Cultivating Learning-Centric Leadership

The success of any learning culture ultimately depends on leadership. As a leader, you must do more than just advocate for learning—you must actively model learning behaviors and create conditions where continuous improvement can thrive. 

As we discussed in our previous post, leaders need to move beyond creating safe spaces for learning. They must systematically embed learning into the organization’s operating model. This means designing structures and processes that make learning inevitable rather than optional.

The Power of Vulnerability

One of the most powerful ways you can promote learning as a leader is by demonstrating vulnerability and openness to learning yourself. According to the guidance paper “How to Thrive (or Fail) in Building a Learning Culture,” when leaders openly share their own learning moments and mistakes, it creates psychological safety for others to do the same.

This was powerfully illustrated at WD-40, where CEO Garry Ridge introduced the concept of a “learning moment” as a “positive or negative outcome of any situation that needs to be openly and freely shared to benefit all.” By modeling this behavior from the top, Ridge helped transform what could have been seen as failures into valuable organizational learning opportunities.

The impact of this approach stands in stark contrast to what Dr. Ron Westrum describes as bureaucratic cultures, where mistakes typically result in punitive actions and mounds of documentation. In such environments, the focus becomes enforcing justice rather than enabling learning.

From Command-and-Control to Learning Leadership

The transformation from traditional command-and-control leadership to learning-centric leadership requires a fundamental shift in mindset. As demonstrated in the guidance paper “Transformational Leadership: A Quick Start Guide,” effective leaders in modern organizations demonstrate five key dimensions: vision, inspirational communication, intellectual stimulation, supportive leadership, and person recognition:

1. Vision

• Clearly communicate organizational direction
• Link learning to strategic objectives
• Help teams see the bigger picture

2. Inspirational Communication

• Share compelling stories of learning and growth
• Highlight how learning drives innovation
• Connect learning to meaningful outcomes

3. Intellectual Stimulation

• Challenge assumptions
• Encourage experimentation
• Ask probing questions that spark new thinking

4. Supportive Leadership

• Create psychological safety
• Provide resources for learning
• Remove barriers to improvement

5. Personal Recognition

• Celebrate learning moments
• Acknowledge risk-taking
• Reward knowledge sharing

These dimensions create an environment where learning can flourish, developing people rather than just directing their actions.

Mark Schwartz, author of The (Delicate) Art of Bureaucracy and other books, experienced this while transforming government IT organizations. In his work, he demonstrates that this shift isn’t just about changing leadership style—it’s about fundamentally reimagining how control works. Rather than trying to eliminate structure, learning leaders create what Schwartz calls “lean bureaucracy”—frameworks that enable rather than constrain learning.

Practical Actions for Leaders

Here are specific ways leaders can put these principles into practice:

Create Safe-to-Learn Spaces

• Schedule regular “learning reviews” distinct from performance reviews
• Establish blameless post-mortems after incidents
• Create forums for sharing lessons learned
• Protect time for experimentation and reflection

Model Learning Behaviors

• Share your own learning journey openly
• Admit when you don’t know something
• Demonstrate how you learn from mistakes
• Actively participate in learning activities

Build Learning into Systems

As Mark Schwartz demonstrates in The (Delicate) Art of Bureaucracy, learning must be systematically reinforced through:

• Learning requirements in governance processes
• Built-in feedback loops in delivery pipelines
• Regular learning reviews in project lifecycles
• Metrics that measure learning outcomes

Foster Cross-Team Learning

• Create opportunities for knowledge exchange
• Rotate team members across projects
• Establish communities of practice
• Support mentorship programs

Measuring Leadership Impact

According to research presented in the paper “Transformational Leadership,” organizations with strong learning-centric leaders consistently achieve:

• Better business results
• Higher software delivery performance
• Stronger organizational performance
• Higher employee engagement

For example, at Barclays, as documented in Sooner Safer Happier, this leadership approach contributed to dramatic improvements in key performance indicators, including:

• 66% reduction in lead times
• 300% increase in throughput
• 95% reduction in incident rates

Creating Sustainable Change

Gene Kim and Dr. Steven J. Spear note in Wiring the Winning Organization that lasting change requires leaders to focus on creating the right conditions rather than just directing actions. This means:

1. Design for Learning

• Build learning checkpoints into regular workflows
• Create feedback mechanisms that surface problems quickly
• Establish clear paths for sharing insights across teams

2. Remove Barriers

• Eliminate punitive responses to failure
• Provide necessary resources and tools
• Address cultural obstacles to learning

3. Reinforce Success

• Share stories of learning impact
• Recognize and reward learning behaviors
• Demonstrate the connection between learning and results

4. Stay Consistent

• Maintain focus during difficult times
• Continue modeling learning behaviors
• Regularly revisit and refine learning practices

Looking Ahead

The role of leadership in creating and sustaining learning cultures cannot be overstated. In the face of unprecedented change, the ability to learn and adapt is even more critical. And leaders who can create conditions where continuous learning thrives will position their organizations for sustained success.

Remember: your actions as a leader speak louder than words. By consistently demonstrating commitment to learning through both behavior and systematic support, you can help create an environment where everyone feels empowered to learn, grow, and contribute to the organization’s success.

In our next post, we’ll explore specific strategies for sustaining these learning cultures over the long term, ensuring that the momentum created by learning-centric leadership continues to build rather than fade over time.

- About The Authors

Leah Brown

Managing Editor at IT Revolution working on publishing books and guidance papers for the modern business leader. I also oversee the production of the IT Revolution blog, combining the best of responsible, human-centered content with the assistance of AI tools.

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