On teachability

When I was a manager, I tried to hire people who were temperamentally suited to the job. Lack of skills or knowledge, the reasoning went, can usually be overcome by training. (Of course, in technical fields, you do have to have a basic understanding and aptitude in the domains in which you are working.) A key to that right temperament was teachability, the ability and,  most importantly, the willingness to learn and change. Knowing what you don't know is the basis for all learning.

We're hiring a president. We want a president who not only knows enough, but is capable of learning even more. Then, with that knowledge, the president can act with wisdom, prudence, and imagination, inspiring us as we move through troubled times.

So, it's a bit surprising to see a leading conservative voice, George Will, sounding off against the Republican candidate in McCain Loses His Head:

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?