How do you learn?

How do you learn best ?
Are you good at reading instructions and learning from books?
Or
Do you learn better if you are hands on?
Personally I learn best by on the job training- I may mess up but I guarantee to you I learn from my mess up and along the way I seek a better way of doing things.

I was the youngest manager of a retail chain , 21, and had to learn a lot in a hurry. I changed how they did payroll and improved their inventory system.
From there I dispatched servicemen all over the New England area for Honeywell, Again I had to learn on the job. I changed the way they dispatched and did their preventive maintenance checks for all the hospitals and schools in the area and once again changed their inventory set up.
Then can Arpin, I dispatched but instead of servicemen I had to learn the moving business. I eventually worked my way up to Vice President and changed the way the they dispatched their drivers and organized loads and reloads amongst many other programs.

Point being you can learn as you go, you just have to be willing to listen, make mistakes but learn from them and have a genuine affection to want to help others.
 In every job I held my changes to the system came because I wanted to do a better job and more efficient job for the people that I worked with. - That was my motivation.- The pay and the raises and promotions came after but that was never my motivator.

How do you learn best ?
What motivates you ?