Microsoft's Jenni Flinders' focus on learning has contributed to career longevity.
By Emma Johnson
SUCCESS.COM Jenni Flinders believes in being a learner, not a knower.
“I’ve seen it so many times: People come into a meeting believing they know the answer,” says the 22-year IT veteran and vice president of Microsoft’s U.S. Partner Group. “But if you just listen to a group of people, the speaker is not shut down, and you’d be surprised at what you actually learn. Every idea has merit and deserves to be heard at least.”
Being a learner and not a knower is among Flinders’ top grounding principles that have guided a career noted as one of the longest and most successful for a woman in the male-dominated technology industry.
Being a “learner”—that is, open to new ideas, people and cultures—holds an underlying value for all businesses, she says. By opening the forum, you find new concepts and solutions, encourage collaboration and nurture innovation—the foundation of any successful enterprise. “It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; you have to be innovative and attract and inspire talent,” she says.
Source: www.successmagazine.com
