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Factor IV: Self
Cluster L: Being flexible and adaptable
Competency 22: Nimble learning
22. Nimble learning

Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems,
using both successes and failures as learning fodder.

Most of us are good at applying what we have seen and done in the past and utilizing solutions that have
worked for us before. A rarer skill is doing things for the first time. Solving problems we’ve never come
across. Trying solutions we have never tried before. Analyzing problems in new contexts and in new
ways. With the increasing pace of change, being quick to learn and apply first-time solutions is becoming
a crucial skill. It involves taking risks, being less than perfect, discarding the past, going against the grain,
and cutting new paths. It requires patience, persistence, and a positive attitude. Organizations need
people who can quickly adapt their thinking to the current situation. People who can draw on their past
experience and apply the learning to a new and different setting. To become a nimble learner is to be
engaged in the present while drawing on past learnings and thinking about future needs. Ask good
questions. Learn from experience. Be willing to try new things. And be flexible in the face of new or
changing information.

“Negative results are just what I want.
They’re as valuable to me as positive results.
I can never find the thing that does the job best
until I find the ones that don’t.”

Thomas Edison – American inventor and businessman

Nimble learning is in the Self factor (IV) in the Korn Ferry Leadership Architect™. It is part of
Cluster L, Being flexible and adaptable, along with Manages ambiguity (3), Being resilient (26),
and Situational adaptability (31). You may find it helpful to also take a look at some of the tips
included in those chapters to supplement your learning.

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