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�Practices for Success in Teams��Study��

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Productive

Character

practices

Communal

shapes participation in

build

Support �Well-Being

Safe

Inclusive

Long-Lived

Study

Individual

form

Thriving Community

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“Knowledge is a powerful thing. The irony is that we can become skilled in information acquisition and come no wiser for it. Information doesn’t necessarily transform or shape us. Learning something new doesn’t mean we are teachable. We can always use information to simply reinforce our own opinions or biases.” (Calhoun)

Study

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talk �less

cultivate a desire �to hear

ask questions

participate �as a community

reserve judgement

focus on the other

practice curiosity

take a second �look

enter with openness

The practice of study is about more than just the acquisition of knowledge. In the practice of study, a community or team is committed to learning together. This practice of learning together creates a common experience that helps to unite and connect the team members.

Learning together requires being open about what you do not know so that you can correct misinformation or learn new ideas.

Study requires a posture of curiosity, where you demonstrate a desire to learn more about something or someone.

The practice of study also requires an orientation to the other and a desire to hear what the other has to say. The other may be new ideas presented through written or verbal content, but the other may also be another person on the team that you want to learn more about.

In study we recognize that it is not enough to acquire knowledge on our own. The practice of study is done communally because one needs to share it with others in order to develop a broad outlook. Studying together requires of you that you curb your need to demonstrate what you know, asking questions that lead to deeper awareness, listen more, talk less, and refrain from making snap judgements but instead being willing to take a second look and try to understand something from another perspective better.

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The practice of study can make you a more perceptive listener, help you develop humility as you acknowledge your own limitations, and provide you with freedom from attachment to your own opinions, words, and authority.

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What positions have you rethought or changed your mind about in the last few years? What does this say about you and your openness to learning?

How do you respond when you hear an opinion that you do not agree with?

Who can you identify that exemplifies a person with a teachable heart? What is one thing you could do to be more like them?