I spend a large portion of my life reading as I want to enhance my knowledge base and communicate better. Learning new skills gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as the confidence to try new challenges. However, I often feel fatigued and am aware of the need to improve my work-life balance.
I think some blog viewers may identify with a struggle to maintain a work-life balance. For this reason, I was thrilled that author Damon Lembi agreed to be in the author spotlight.
Damon recently released the book Learn-it-All Leader. In addition to being an author, Damon is the CEO of Learnit - a training company that helps organizations develop hard and soft skills.
Damon, do you mind telling us how important curiosity was in your own learning?
I consider curiosity to be essential in learning. From my perspective, the main distinguishing factor between a 'Learn-It-All' and a 'Know-It-All' is curiosity itself. Individuals who maintain a beginner's mindset, are receptive to new ideas, and have a passion for learning will continue to grow and evolve. On the other hand, those who believe they have everything figured out tend to stall out and may find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of our ever-changing world.
Why did your dad start Learnit?
Great question! He started Learnit because like other great entrepreneurs he set out to find a solution to a challenge that was bugging him. In the early 90s, my family had an extensive Real Estate portfolio and my dad was looking for a way to track his portfolio on a computer instead of paper-based. He dragged one of my sisters (Chelsea) to an all-day, basic Excel class. He found the training center to be sterile, the instructor to be stiff, and reading from a book. After about an hour my dad told my sister they were heading out. He said to himself “There had to be a better way to learn computers” and that’s where he came up with the idea for Learnit. His vision was for short 90-minute classes, that were fun + engaging, and inexpensive for everyone not only the corporate types to attend.
Tell us a little bit about the day you became CEO of Learnit.
I can’t remember the exact day, but what I do remember is the first year was a challenge for sure. Many of the employees of Learnit had several years of more business experience than I did so I had to earn their trust. In my book, I call it the “lucky curse” I was given the opportunity to lead Learnit because of my family so I had to set out to prove to the team I belonged in the position as CEO. I was able to do this by leading by example, rolling up my sleeves, and doing the work. Not sitting in an ivory tower.
What are you most proud of at Learnit?
That’s easy. My team and the people I have been able to surround myself with over the years. I don’t have any superpowers but if I did it would be to attract, hire and retain GREAT talent. Some of which has stayed with me for 15+ years others who may have moved on after a couple of years but remain part of the Learnit community. I always believe in hiring for potential over experience, coachable individuals, and the key traits I look for our; Humility, Curiosity, Integrity, and Courage. Of course, I’ve made some bad hiring decisions over the years but I’ve made many more great ones. Always look to hire people who are smarter / better than you and have them help you stretch your own abilities and grow.
How important were your real-life examples (business/personal life) in creating this book?
To be honest, my real-world experiences are all I had. If I could do it all over again, I would have focused more on my education in college instead of solely on baseball. However, as I discuss in my book, I had the fortune of playing for and learning from three Hall of Fame baseball coaches. Their mentorship, along with the competitive sports experience, taught me a great deal. Later, when I entered the business world, learning from my mistakes was critical to my growth. Through this process, I was able to create a book that I believe others can relate to and apply to their own real-world experiences.