Ancora Imparo

While I am not a fan of tattoos, I have learned to accept them. It is hard to object to a thoughtful message permanently inscribed on your body. The inside of my youngest daughter’s forearm says, “Ancora Imparo” - translated “Yet, I am still learning.”

Likely misattributed to Michelangelo at the age of 87, the quote was his response to being asked to reflect on his storied career. To me, the thought represents a healthy attitude about the leadership journey. I hope that we are all still learning and that we will continue to do that for the rest of our lives.

We can no longer rely on the skills we learned in college to serve us for an entire career. Much of what we learn is quickly obsoleted by progress. There is no way to perfect the art of leadership. The environment keeps changing and the situations we face are as diverse as the number of people on the planet times the number of days in the year. We must adopt the habit and attitude of lifelong learning.

I don’t think I’ll ever fully embrace tattoos, but I am a big fan of inspirational quotes. Maybe I will change my mind about body art eventually. For now, I hope to be able to say, “Yet, I am still learning.” – at 87.