Love of learning: the strengths advantage
Love of learning is the drive to master new knowledge and skills
For product and transformation leaders, this strength is the engine the runs behind strategic depth, domain fluency, and adaptive leadership
At the senior Head of, Director, General Manager, and C-Suite levels, a love of learning becomes your competitive edge when everyone is running fast to keep up with the exponential growth in technological advancements
Examples of underuse. A Head of Product who avoids learning and just focuses on executing may be relying on outdated information, technologies, and frameworks; missing critical shifts in customer and market behaviour or chances to optimise their delivery model to get their products out to market faster. A General Manager in Project Delivery who resists upskilling in modern lean, agile, and product governance approaches risks becoming a bottleneck on their own transformation programs
Examples of optimal use. A General Manager in Strategy and Transformation who actively learns through market immersion, peer benchmarking, or continuous customer testing can reframe delivery challenges into growth opportunities since they know when to continue with a strategy and when to stop, pivot, and course correct. A Chief Product Officer who models continuous learning and outcome oriented execution signals credibility and future readiness, building confidence in stakeholders and making it easier to access funding when they need it
Examples of overuse. When left unchecked, a love of learning can lead you to intellectual hoarding and a reputation for being “a know it all who is too theoretical to get the job done.” A Head of Transformation who endlessly consumes and shares new methodologies without applying them creates confusion. A Chief Technology Officer who over-indexes on theory and inspirational possibilities may lose traction with delivery teams who need clarity and focus, not the added complexity of a wish list from a sci-fi movie
The sweet spot is targeted learning that is applied. Product and transformation leaders who get the balance right between learning and application don’t just absorb and share information, they translate their insights into actionable impact
Research shows that leaders who know, apply, and maximise their strengths experience higher resilience, stronger influence, and improved performance outcomes. Love of learning is just one of the 24 strengths that we explore in The Strengths Advantage
The Strengths Advantage
Book the half-day team workshop to activate a learning culture within your team, or choose the 90-minute 1:1 leader session to focus your own love of learning onto how strengths based leadership can supercharge your performance today!