Leadership Thought for the Day: Double-loop Learning
As leaders or influencers, we have to address issues of the heart and the soul that determine how and why problematic behavior is being practiced. Jesus modeled this essential discipline of effective leadership. Peter had failed Jesus miserably. Overwhelmed by intense pressure, he had abandoned his mentor and friend in the moment Jesus most needed his friendship and support. How humiliated and degraded Peter must have felt. But Jesus reconstructed Peter.
The single loop tends to be the easy one. We can teach a person to modify his or her angry outbursts. But the second loop forces the person to deal with the anger that generates the outburst. The second loop is essential to solving the problem but more difficult to address.
As leaders who are committed to God’s best for our followers, we must learn well the lesson of double-loop learning. First time around the loop – behavior. Second time around the loop – values and attitudes that drive behavior. Great leaders don’t stop after one lap around the loop.
