396: Learning Is Leadership with David Preston

Описание: Reflections from host Sarah Olivieri ...

Learning Is Leadership
There’s a pattern I see in nonprofit organizations that stall.
It’s not a lack of commitment.
It’s not a lack of vision.
It’s not even usually a lack of funding.
It’s a lack of learning.
We build strategic plans. We refine mission statements. We install tools. But if the organization itself is not functioning as a learning system, none of that holds up under pressure.
Systems that don’t adapt eventually calcify.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I recently had a conversation about exactly this with David Preston, who has spent decades helping organizations build what he calls high-performing learning networks. It sharpened something I’ve long believed: organizations are not machines. They are networks of people learning, leading, and achieving together.

Schooling Is Not Learning
One distinction that matters here is the difference between schooling and learning.
Schooling is passive.
Learning is active.
Schooling is about compliance.
Learning is about agency.
When teams operate in “school mode,” they wait to be told. They execute tasks. They follow instructions. They comply with board directives or funder requirements.
These teams often look busy…
But “busy” doesn’t necessarily translate into results.
Learning cultures, by contrast, invite people to think aloud. To test ideas. To refine. To argue constructively. To improve together.
This leads to more accountability and better results.

The Power of “With”
One line from my conversation with David has stayed with me:
“If you do something to people—or even for people—it has a low ceiling. If you do something with people, it sustains.” — David Preston
That’s not just philosophical. It’s operational.
When leaders design a strategy alone and then roll it out, ownership is thin. When leaders co-create—even if it’s messier at first—agency increases.
Agency increases performance.
This is why I often say clarity beats control.
Control looks efficient.
Clarity scales.
When people help build the strategy, they internalize it. When they internalize it, execution improves. When execution improves, results compound.

Dunbar’s Number and Real Relationships
We also touched on Dunbar’s number—the idea that humans can sustain roughly 150 meaningful relationships.
That has direct implications for leadership.
You cannot deeply engage everyone.
High-touch relationships require energy. They require attention. They require boundaries.
In an era where leaders can have thousands of online “connections,” it’s easy to confuse reach with relationship.
They are not the same.
If your fundraising strategy relies entirely on scaled communication, you will miss depth and leave a lot of money on the table.
I believe we should only focus on scaled methods of communication and relationships once we have mastered building relationships 1-1, high touch, like humans have done for thousands of years.

The Basics Are the Advanced Work
One of my favorite stories David shared was about legendary UCLA coach John Wooden teaching players how to put on their socks correctly on the first day of practice.
Why?
Because blisters prevent performance.
The more experts I meet, the more one message stands out…
Experts aren’t better at the complicated, they are better at the basics.
The basics of human connection, like story-telling and authenticity.
Better at defining goals.
Better at being clear in their communication.
What This Means for Nonprofit Leaders
If you only take one thing away from this:
Your organization is a learning network.
If people feel safe thinking aloud, progress accelerates.
If people feel silenced or over-managed, progress slows.
If learning slows, adaptation slows.
If adaptation slows, results suffer.
You don’t need a more complicated strategy.
You need a culture where people can think together.
That’s harder.
And it’s worth it.

About the Guest
David Preston helps leaders and organizations build high-performing learning networks. Founder of Open-Source Learning, he draws on experience writing for the Los Angeles Times, teaching at UCLA and California high schools, and building a Los Angeles-based consulting practice. He is the author of the Academy of One.

Learn more:
https://davidpreston.net/
  / david-preston-learning  

Short link:
http://bit.ly/4aV47sp

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