LEARNING
Training
I have a different view about the idea of training.
Athletes train. Musicians train. Doctors train. But Knowledge Workers don’t. Not in the same way. Some of my team are often asked to provide training. Of course, what the requestor has in mind is a ‘chalk and talk’ session with maybe a questionnaire at the end. Feedback is always good. But behavioural change is rare.
If Knowledge Workers want to execute at the highest level, they should train like elite athletes or highly skilled practitioners. They need strong ‘learning plans.’ I know intellectual life is different. Success is harder to measure and the metrics for improvement aren’t quite as clear. Even then, there’s a lot to learn from the way top athletes train. They are clear in their objectives and deliberate in their pursuit of improvement.
I’d encourage Knowledge Workers to do the same. Training needs to be considered an active event. Get the hands dirty. Repeat. Practice and practice again. Devote the hours to be an expert in what is expected to do the job at the highest level. Do the hard work in context. And not in an out-of-context classroom.
And have a learning plan. Even among the most ambitious Knowledge Workers, learning plans are rare. Most are reactive. I haven’t seen many Knowledge Workers plan to learn. On the other hand, I’ve seen them surrender to their environment. They direct their attention towards the stream of emails, instant messages, and social media feeds.
I’ve also seen them ask for changes to their environment to make it easier. An elite athlete doesn’t do that. A basketballer doesn’t ask for the diameter of the ring to increase so as to shoot more goals; a footballer doesn’t ask for the distance between goalposts to be wider so that they can kick more goals. They work harder to be more accurate.
Knowledge Workers are encouraged to take control of their learning and plan to be elite. Just like an athlete.
THOUGHTS
7 Ideas to Make You More Effective at Work
A system is only as strong as its weakest point. Focus on the bottleneck.
Avoiding stupidity is easier than trying to be brilliant. Instead of asking, “How can I help my company?” ask, “What’s hurting my company the most and how can I avoid it?” Identify obvious failure points, and steer clear of them.
Things that don’t make sense are learning opportunities.
KPI’s are fraught. For example, a hospital took too long to admit patients so a penalty was given for 4+ hour wait times. In response, ambulance drivers were asked to slow down so they could shorten wait times.
The most interesting ideas at a conference never come from the main stage. They come from the hallways and the bar after sunset. Change starts away from the spotlight.
Find your own style, then run with it. Create intellectual real estate for yourself.
Look for things that don’t make sense. That’s where the gold is. Whether you work in a business or have an entrepreneur’s mindset, the complexity of things that don’t make sense is fertile ground
COMMUNICATION
Conversation Starters
A full year of daily conversation starters to spark authentic connection at work (and home).
Each month offers fresh alternatives to the typical questions you hear all day (e.g. how are you? where you from? how was work today? what did you do this weekend?).
(There is an option for customers outside of US, HERE)
QUOTE
"A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa." – Mark Zuckerberg
LINKS
Randoms
Townscaper is a relaxing city-building art toy game, for those down times.
Make learning part of your daily routine.
Marginalia in era of eBooks