It is estimated that only about 15 percent of the workforce is highly learning agile -- and Korn/Ferry / Futurstep can measure it.

1. Proof Point
What’s Smarter than IQ?
Learning Agility. It’s No.1 – above intelligence and
education – in predicting leadership success.
by Kenneth P. De Meuse
The concept: You may have heard of the Peter Principle. It has been
Learning agility is the willingness
around for more than 50 years. It asserts that
and ability to learn from experi-
ence and apply those lessons to employees will continue to get promoted until they
perform well in new and challeng- reach their highest level of incompetence. Today’s
ing situations. workplace has ushered in a new principle; one that is
Used to: much more insidious. I call it the Paul Principle. The
Identify high-potentials and Paul Principle states that employees don’t need to get
specify development plans for promoted to become incompetent. They will become
up-and-coming leaders. Also can
be used to assess external candi-
incompetent in their current jobs if they don’t grow,
dates for leadership positions. adapt, and evolve.
Measured with: This is why learning agility is the They see unique patterns and make
viaEDGE™, a new psychometri- most important quality to look for fresh connections that others
cally developed self-assessment. in a business leader today. Certainly overlook.
all jobs are becoming more complex,
Important because: more ambiguous and more Learning agility is a vital indicator
It’s the leading predictor of technologically demanding, but it is of high potential talent. A 2011
success in leadership roles. It is even more true for organizational Korn/Ferry study of sales managers
also somewhat rare: it’s estimated leaders. Unless managers and bears this out: The higher an
that only about 15 percent of the executives continue to learn new individual’s learning agility, the
workforce is highly learning agile. competencies and behaviors, they more promotions he or she received
Learning agility also provides risk going the way of inkwells, during a 10-year period.
developmental due diligence by 8-tracks, and typewriters.
identifying and supporting the Similarly, longitudinal studies
development of high potentials. In a nutshell, learning agility is the conducted at AT&T, Sears, and Pepsi
willingness and ability to learn from observed that managers who
experience and then apply those modified their behaviors, exhibited
lessons to succeed in new situations. flexibility, and accepted mistakes as
Leaders who are learning agile part of learning new competencies
continuously seek new challenges, were more successful than their
solicit direct feedback, self-reflect, counterparts as they climbed the
and get jobs done resourcefully. corporate ladder. The most rigorous

2. research was conducted at the Five factors of learning agility
Center for Creative Leadership and
summarized in a book aptly titled, Korn/Ferry’s new self-
Y PEOP
assessment viaEDGE™ ILIT LE
Lessons of Experience. After AG A
> People agility — skilled
provides scores on: AL communicator who can
G
NT
interviewing roughly 200
IL
work with diverse types
ME
ITY
executives, the authors discovered > Mental agility — ability of people
LEARNING
SELF-AWAR
to examine problems in
ILITY
that the most successful executives > Change agility — likes
unique and unusual ways AGILITY to experiment and
E AG
were able to move out of their > Self-Awareness comfortable with change
— extent to which an
NG
comfort zone, take risks, learn from > Results agility — delivers
EN
SS
HA
individual knows his or C
E
RE
results in challenging
mistakes, and begin anew as they her true strengths and SULT I TY
S AGIL first-time situations
encountered new assignments. weaknesses
Their technical and functional
expertise, which were valued at can be very useful, they need to A common concern about self-
lower levels, gave way to building meet many conditions. For example, assessments is their accuracy. What
teams, inspiring confidence, and the raters must work from a prevents people from simply
developing strategic goals. Bottom- common frame of reference, so inflating their scores? viaEDGE™
line: the successful leaders harsh or lenient ratings give way to has several verification scales
continually learned, bent, and realistic (accurate) ones. When embedded to confirm the scores
flexed as their work world changed. several employees are evaluated at are accurate. In addition, there is
In other words, they were learning once, rater fatigue can become a an indicator to evaluate the extent
agile. factor. A multi-rater approach to which an individual unduly
likewise does not work for hiring presents a socially desirable image.
This is why learning agility has external job candidates; one can’t Overall, it provides a calibrated,
become the No. 1 predictor of really ask the current employer to scientifically derived measure of
leadership success today, more provide ratings so that another an individual’s learning agility.
accurate than IQ, EQ (emotional company can make a good hiring
intelligence), education level, or decision. Learning agility is the cornerstone
even leadership competencies. of effective leadership today.
To address such concerns Korn/ Identifying and developing those
Objectively identifying managers Ferry has recently developed leaders who possess it is the best
with high levels of learning agility viaEDGE™, a self-assessment that way for organizations of any size
has tremendous value for measures learning agility from a to optimize their talent pipeline.
organizations. Before putting time, multi-dimensional perspective. In Talent decisions are too important
energy, and money into developing addition to one’s overall learning to be based on gut feelings or
an executive, an organization can agility, five different facets are chance.
confirm if he or she truly is the assessed: (a) mental agility, (b)
About the Author
right investment. They can also people agility, (c) change agility, (d) Kenneth P. De Meuse is the vice president for
avoid an egregious mistake in results agility, and (e) self- global research at Korn/Ferry International
awareness. Such a multi-pronged Leadership and Talent Consulting. He has
overlooking a nondescript employee published five books and multiple journal
who really is a high potential approach enables organizations to articles on leadership development and talent
not only identify the most highly management. He received his doctorate in
talent. industrial/organizational psychology at the
agile individuals, but to diagnose University of Tennessee.
Most learning agility assessments agility weaknesses and find
appropriate developmental About Korn Ferry International
use multiple people—supervisors, Visit www.kornferry.com for more information
peers, direct reports—to rate each opportunities. on the Korn/Ferry International family of
companies, and www.kornferryinstitute.com
individual after seeing him or her for thought leadership, intellectual property
in action. Although such measures and research.