According to Greising, “As soon he became president, Goizueta began a detailed study of every aspect of Coke’s business. Although proud and confident in his abilities, Goizueta had enough self-confidence to admit his limitations. He even exposed his lack of knowledge to subordinates by asking dozens of questions ranging from simple queries about market size to
complex calculations of rates of return and the present value of invested capital.”
In other words, Roberto Goizueta was a learning executive. Whether you’re a small business owner, middle manager, auto mechanic, schoolteacher, or police officer, the ability to constantly improve your skill set by dedicated, disciplined, and focused learning can make the difference between a dead-end career and a rapid ascent to greater positions of power. You must be willing to risk looking foolish to become knowledgeable.
