What Did You Learn the Teacher?
I thought he had it wrong ... turns out I did
“Everyone you meet knows something you don’t.”
— Bill Nye
What’s Your Juice? Unlock the Energy that Transforms Performance, Fuels Purpose, and Ignites the People Around You is now available on Amazon and now on Audible!
What Did You Learn the Teacher?
That’s the question my grandfather asked his grandkids every day after school. We all spent years thinking he had it wrong.
My brothers and I would burst through the door, hoping to find him waiting. He was a farmer, house painter, and trapper who lived his entire life in well-worn overalls—a man who measured his days in work done. And every time we came running to him, he’d greet us with a twinkle in his eye and ask the same question: “What did you learn the teacher today?”
We’d laugh and correct him. “Grandpa, we didn’t teach the teacher!” He’d smile like he knew something we didn’t … because he did.
He wasn’t making a grammatical mistake. In his fun and silly way, he was making a statement about how he saw the world. To him, everyone, no matter their age, background, or station in life, had something valuable to give. Even us kids, barely tall enough to see over the kitchen counter, had experiences and perspectives that could benefit the adults around us. Including our teachers—and him.
Most of us strive to spend our lives in learning mode. Consuming wisdom, seeking the next insight, seeking mentors to sharpen our edge. A growth mindset is powerful. However, my grandfather lived something that takes most people a lifetime to discover, growth that stays inside you is only half the story.
Living a meaningful and others-centered life is beyond asking “How can I improve?” It’s “How can my improvement serve someone else?”
That’s the twist from a growth mindset to a contributor’s mindset, and it changes everything.
A contributor’s mindset shows up in three simple ways. A. You walk into every room asking what you can add, not just what you can learn. B. You treat every interaction as a chance to lift someone else, and C. You end each day with one honest question: Did I leave people better today?
My grandfather lived and died in a small town, painting houses and doing various odd jobs to make ends meet. Every day, in those worn overalls, he showed us what it looked like to live a life asking not what you could take, but how you could help.
That’s a contributor’s mindset. Influence showing up in overalls and work gloves, asking the right question, and waiting for you to grow into the answer.
What will you teach the teacher today?
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
— Winston Churchill
Connecting this quote to the story. Each of us has something valuable to contribute, and leadership begins when we start asking what we can give, not only what we can learn.
This week’s Chasing Influence tip: Walk into every room wondering, how can I leave this place better than I found it?