How Not to Learn

April 13, 2009 · Comments

tilt shift car show model Over my last three posts, I wrote about my experiences with GM. Some folks questioned whether I was being paid to write about them (I wasn’t). Others took the opportunity to criticize the company for fuel mileage, for the possibility of a bankruptcy, for several years of other sins worth calling out.

On Twitter, I pointed out a great article by Jack Neff about Unilever CMO Simon Clift. Several people appreciated the article, but one person responded back that they felt Unilever was morally bankrupt. I’m not sure from where her stance came, but that was her take.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but where you run into a potential risk is by letting your opinions get in the way of learning something new. I learn best by paying attention to how others do things, especially when I’m learning how not to do things.

If we don’t look for models, if we don’t separate our feelings from our efforts to learn, we miss many opportunities. That last bit bears repeating slightly differently: If you can break out the concepts from the content, the entire kingdom becomes yours. Learn about what people are doing, versus what exactly they’re talking about.

Getting caught up in the little things or falling into the story instead of paying attention to its structure means a missed opportunity to learn. There are lessons around us daily, several of which we can apply to what we do. From that excellent restaurant server teaching us how to blog a better offering of dessert, to the observations gleaned from paying attention to our rivals, we have chances to learn.

Are you separating out the lesson from your other feelings and emotions?

Photo credit omniNate

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  • How not to learn: Tell everyone that you have a new range of products that are concentrated and use half the weight to do the same job, but charge them more.
    http://luigicappel.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/is-...
  • You can expand the lesson even more. There's a lesson in everything. All day, every day our senses are working to show us something, to help us learn and recognize concepts in our world, our network and even ourselves. Focusing on the details leaves us unaware of the bigger picture.

    Though, that Unilever bit got me curious, which of course led to googling. Learned that Chumbawamba wrote a negative song about Unilever. Oh, and they're accused of deforestation (though who isn't involved in cutting down trees...).
  • Thanks for the post, Chris. There are so often nuggets of truth everywhere that we refuse to notice because we don't like how they're packaged. At the same time, because this tends to be human nature, I personally find myself more aware of the things I do because I want as many folks as possible to have an open mind when I come to what I'm trying to share. Your examples above are a reminder that, while we need to look beyond the packaging, many folks don't do that. Don't present your ideas poorly and expect them to slide by on their merits alone. Appearances are important.
  • This is so true in so many ways. We can all learn so much more when we observe with an open mind rather than judging or condemning. The thing that often strikes me as interesting is when people have strong opinions and they showcase (or showboat) those opinions, they seem to forget that they are teaching us more about themselves than they are about whoever they are judging. I agree that we are all entitled to our opinions - that is what makes the world go around and keeps it interesting. However, some might consider tempering their comments with grace and understanding until they have had the opportunity to build a relationship that shows their ability to be well balanced in their thinking. We can all learn more by listening and observing.

    Thank you for the statement, "If you can break out the concepts from the content, the entire kingdom becomes yours. Learn about what people are doing, versus what exactly they’re talking about. " It really bears daily integration!
  • kallan
    Kia ora Chris

    Thanks for this. I guess it goes with putting aside other feelings and emotions so that we each can also assist others to learn. Ridicule displayed by the knowledgeable for the ignorant can be a huge impediment to learning what went wrong. The ridiculed may well be aware that something went wrong, but having the empathy and courage (lets not deny it) to help someone in such a situation is a remarkable and salutary quality.

    Catchya later
    from Middle-earth
  • @Luigi - you proved my point doubly with your comment. Good luck with that.
  • Cheers Chris. I have an automated email from Unilever saying that they will get back to me on the next work day, so am looking forward to their response.
  • Hi Chris,

    Your site is one of my favorites seen around blog explosion. Keep up the good work.
    I enjoy reading your blog. It is great to find someone who can find the fun things in life!
    I wish you all the best in all years. I look forward to developing a friendship and networking with you. Take a look at my websites Aries Network in Europe.

    With Regards,
    Karoly Domonyi
    http://www.ariestrade.com
  • Enjoying your posts, Chris. There are open minded people and closed minded people. Cultivate the open minded ones!
  • Chris,
    I found you through Darren on ProBlogger, in his 31 days of better blogging. Thanks. I knew there had to be a reason I'd signed on to your blogs and this one is it! Wonderful, I've been looking at how I relate to people and issues lately, how it comes across in my blog. So this is timely, and well-thought out. I also like what Zita had to say. Will be coming back to reabsorb this again... and again....( as should Luigi)
    df
  • Wow. I’m not sure I could have learned from anyone else as articulately and succinctly as you, Chris. : ) So easily actionable. It’s a filter that can now be applied to everything I share with others: “Am I talking about what I learned? Or am I talking about how I feel?” My next blog post, comment, email, presentation, discussion – I will ask myself those questions. It’s not that there is no room for emotions but, at least for today, I think this is true: sharing emotions is about me, sharing learning is about you.
  • Chris your bring up such a great point. You learn best by paying attention to everyone, right and wrong. Everyone has a right to their opinions and feelings, but don't let them get in the way of learning.
  • We often times get caught up in stuff and miss the big picture. In the case with GM we got caught up in the blame game instead of being brought up by the lessons we could learn from the situation of this embattled giant. Thanks for reminding us what not to do.
  • So true. I'm thinking about Twitter for example. There are times when I wonder about the usefulness or futility of following everyone who follows me, even if it seems that there's nothing they would offer that I would find topical. But that, I think, is part of the exercise...to open a channel for new stuff to get in. I try to spend time with my unfiltered Twitter channel for that reason. Ok, I admit, it would be much better without the free laptop and weightloss marketers, but sometimes I run into some great stuff there that I never would have otherwise opted into.
  • Similar thoughts came to me when reading an article yesterday on TechCrunch about Gary V's book deal. Sure, TC has plenty of trolls but there were enough real people that sat there and criticized what he's done and about his book deal. Whether its a big name like his, or anyone else making waves and shifting the way things are done and making their own path, there are always detractors and naysayers that are either jealous or just plain spiteful towards that person's success. If they only stepped back away from their own one-sided thoughts and saw what this person was truly doing, maybe it would inspire them, have a light pop in their head, or just make them want to work hard.

    Plenty of missed opportunities when you let your ego get in the way.
  • No idea how my name turned out like that above.
  • Good Morning Chris,
    Great Article. I am sorry I couldn't meet up with you at your recent trip to Detroit, and the Royal Oak Tweet Up. Glad you were able to visit our great little city of Royal Oak MI. Running our business prevails over going to conferences, however it was very cool to follow it on twitter and the live feeds. Thank you for a great show, much appreciated!

    I am a small business owner, not a marketer, although I have a great passion for Remarkable and Enhancing the Customer Experience. To your point, everyone has and is entitled to their opinion. Having said that, it floors me to see the SM Pundits bury folks when new ideas are tried. Learning definitely is NOT occurring in that scenario. More Leaders need to emerge, but that requires a lot of courage, Lead by Example, learn as you go, Practice, Practice, Practice
  • I've always tried to learn from others. Even in business, you can spend all of your energy complaining, saying why so and so did not deserve a promotion etc. Or you could spend your time examining why so and so got that promotion. Maybe you don't want to use the same tactics (ass kissing, back biting etc), but learning from others--even people and companies you don't admire--only helps you.

    As for GM specifically, they've yet to design a car I'd like to drive. I happen to own stock in the company, but not for good reasons (I inherited it and have never found a right time to sell because there just has not been one), so I really would like to patronize the company. I just can't find a good reason to do so.

    In thinking about why people buy cars:

    * My husband and his family buy German cars (BMWs etc) because they like cars that corner. They are willing to overlook the fact that their cars spend more time in the shop than on the road.

    * I like to drive a car that makes me feel safe and that comes with a service department that doesn't make me feel stupid. Thus the all wheel drive Subaru.

    * Some people like to hate salesmen. That's why Saturn does well. It captures that market.

    GM used to target the Americans who wanted big, flashy and fast. It no longer works for them, so, to survive, they need to come up with an untapped market need. Fuel economy is great, but Honda and Toyota already have that market cornered. If GM is to survive, it will have to design a new kind of cool. The next big. I'm not sure what that is, which is why I don't work for a car company.
  • Chris, one of the insightful points you make (in a big picture sense) is that learning is a lifelong pursuit. Being curious about about everything and searching for the intellectual truth in it all means separating emotion from your investigation. Helping in that exploration today, I think, is social networking because it offers so many links to others and so many potential pathways to discovery. But in the end, as you say, it is all about learning, all the time.
  • Chris, you make an excellent point. We should all open up our frame of reference to hear all sides of the story, and to learn new models. In my opinion, I think it gets harder for people (especially when it comes to companies linked to a down economy) for them to be objective and to listen. Perhaps fear, adversity and personal situation lead to opinions that close the doors to learning and prevents individuals from obtaining "the entire kingdom."
  • partywedo
    I own mid-sixties muscle cars as a hobby because I get to learn three important life lessons:

    1. Patience; while attempting to keep 40-year old assemblies functioning during a road-trip.

    2. Ingenuity; while making on-the-roadside repairs with nothing more than wire and duct-tape.

    3. Love; as my wife sits quietly smiling on the side of the road.

    We should all take the time to calmly watch and learn from each other.
    I have met some very nice people who stop to help get an old car moving again.
  • Eddie Reeves
    Of course Chris makes a great overall point in this post. I have a long history as a political and community activist in my younger days, and I had the tremendous good fortune of interacting with several veterans of the Civil Rights Movement as a college student in Austin (by the way, I was at the first South by Southwest Music Festival, which as I recall was held over two day and had an audience of a few thousand to here mostly local and regional bands; the media breakout hadn't even been dreamed up yet.).

    At any rate, one of the people I go to spend a good deal of time with was the late Kwame Toure, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael. And I will never forget one of the pearls of wisdom he shared with me: "Study every situation to see what you can learn from them to be a better organizer/leader. There is something to learn from everyone and everything."
  • When the hell will we learn that bailing out bad companies doesn't work? Seems to me that we've missed the "big picture" that Detroit is broken.
  • Excellent comments, Chris. Worth sharing with my classes. Some students tend to confuse opinion with analysis, and suggestions to separate the two are always welcome.
  • It's a good lesson to us all to "leave our baggage at the door" when making comments and instead remember that this is a space to contribute to the conversation in a constructive manner...constructive being the key concept there.

    Chris, I believe that you took a very neutral approach when writing about GM; you spoke about the people, the products, and the technology - which a lot of main stream media has neglected to do in recent months.

    Let's celebrate that you took a new approach to look at GM, because no matter what people think of the company (and I have my opinions as well), I'm sure everyone learned something from this recent series.
  • Ahhh. Learning...Learning is really just a choice, isn't it? I wish more people would view it as simply observing through both the positive and the negative and deciding how to be better or do better..or file it for future access...maybe more people would try it.

    I learned how I wanted to treat peopIe growing up working for my parents local Pizza Joint - from boss to employee to customer - Treatment A = get these results, Treatment B = get these results, Treatment C = get these results and so on. I only had to decide what result I wanted from what I had learned (observed) and do my best to act accordingly to achieve the result(s) I wanted...and then I've had to keep observing (learning) as my world grew. Geez, summarized like that, it sounds easy to me, why aren't more people doing it? :)

    So....Gear Head Brogan, what a great post made even better for me personally by seeing LIsa Hickey and Sonny Gill's comments...because I have learned from You AND them in totally different ways, when just a few months ago - each one of you was a complete stranger to me.

    Life is so cool..but Life Lessons are even cooler.
  • Julie
    It's not easy to step outside your pre-concieved opinions... Sometimes we are on auto-pilot and believe what we are told, or what the media is telling us. This is a good reminder to really think about the opinions we hold dear.
  • Sanji
    Great!!. What I got from this article is we all do get caught in the following below and miss the opportunity
    Getting caught up in the little things or falling into the story instead of paying attention to its structure means a missed opportunity to learn.
  • I thought about reading this post, but the headline was not detailed enough for me. I'm pretty sure I did not miss anything important though.

    ; )
  • I had a light bulb moment a couple years ago when I realized that companies weren't monolithic and were instead actually made up of people, and those people were doing the best they could in the circumstances given.

    Should companies or people not be challenged? No. Dialogue is essential. Both the good and the bad. And the good needs to be said several times over because most people don't pay attention to the good the first time.
  • Jaquelyn Pierce
    There is a huge lesson in social media that we have collectively avoided until now...the intimacy of it all has brought back integrity. The posers are out, REAL is in. I agree with you, Chris, there are wonderful lessons around us all the time. Technology has finally dropped it's shield, the wizard has left Oz and we're all in the field of poppies!

    Thanks for your wonderful insight.

    Jac

    P.s. Is that your face I see in the little silver car! :)
  • Great insight Chris..thanks! Specially where you say: "...Getting caught up in the little things or falling into the story..." What a powerful way to say that life is about the forrest, not the trees. Sure the trees matter, without them there wouldn't be a forrest. But being able to step back (or outside or above) is what will keep us in control - in a world that's naturally changing.
    Also thanks for the reminder that it's as important to learn what not to do as it is to learn what to do...Stay in touch...
  • "You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but where you run into a potential risk is by letting your opinions get in the way of learning something new."

    I am resonating with your observation as scribed above. A litmus test for me is centered around my "willingness". How willing am I to not just learn, but to hear or read what is being communicated? Am I formulating a response and blurting it out before the other is even finished?

    Some scenarios are more triggering than others, but moments of discernment, if only a few seconds more than yesterday often helps. An old school saying of "Don't dial while drunk" can probably be morphed into something catchy when applying a social media communication tool like a blog comment, Facebook status update or tweet.
  • Son of a prosperous businessman to ask his father:
    -Dad-how do you succeed in business?
    Thanks for taking good decisions.
    -And how do you take good decisions?
    -Due to experience.
    -And how you gained experience?
    -Thanks for taking wrong decisions.

    So we learn from our mistakes and this make us to succed. :)
  • Of course we only learn when we listen to what's happening. And we only really learn if we act on what we hear.

    Perhaps that's why so many people took umbrage with the GM posts, Chris - they felt (probably correctly) that GM, Ford and Chrysler (amongst others) failed to listen and learn, and that placed them in the position of dipping into taxpayers money to bail out bad business practices.

    Maybe they're listening now - maybe not. The key factor will be in how much they're learning over the next 6-12 months. So far, signs are mixed - and that's not a good point to start learning from.
  • "Learning" also includes taking into account dissenting opinions. Honestly, I don't see a lot of that hear. Seems to be a lot of the "following the heard" mentality. (Of course, I fully expect everyone to now justify the comments here, but that's what the heard does....)

    This is a MAJOR problem for corporations, which tend to end up in "group think", and fail to innovate - something the car companies have failed to do.

    In the meantime, looks like GM will be "learning" from a bankruptcy judge.
  • To: David Kaa

    I like your observation about the need to have dissenting opinions which can benefit the learning curve.

    However, I also find that the "following the herd" mentality can just as easily occur in the dissenter's camp. One can use dissension as a means to control a group, i.e. divert all the attention to themselves in an attempt to sabotage the group. Or it may be a reflection of the them "not being able to play well with others". I have observed this in professional circles and volunteer communities.
  • Christina Viering
    A danger to learning is getting caught up in "inner turmoil" and not paying attention to reality.
  • Carlos,

    It's an interesting point. However, I don't know of any data in support of it. I do know studies have shown that once a group comes in with a certain set of facts and information, it's very hard for dissenters to change the groups mind (Garold Stasser, "The Uncertain Role of Unshared Information in Collective Choice", 1999)

    Moreover, if the "herd" is following the dissenter, are they really a dissenter?

    However, I'd be curious to see any studies in support of the theory.
  • Chris,

    This is so true. Feelings and emotions are amazing in how they often get in the way of thinking, because of their strong nature. Put these aside and look at what is truly important- continuing the journey of life and learning.
  • @janieangus
    It's like the difference between the menu and the meat. Which one do you want to eat?
  • It's easy to criticize when you haven't tried!

    Buy a concentrated product that uses less packaging and costs the environment less to ship, and pay more - then criticize its value. If you don't like it, ask for a refund.

    Only once you have experienced it can you fully learn from it.
  • Laurie Mayers
    I really enjoyed this, and appreciated your call for open-mindedness. Story in the NYT today shows how the models/product specialists at the New York Auto Show are being badgered by people angry at the car companies:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/automobiles/a...
  • Another great one,

    Stopped me for a moment and think deeply...for having done that,

    You are a supastah ;)
  • Luigi Cappel
    It turns out that it wasn't Unilever trying to con us at all, it was the supermarket. I had a great conversation with someone from Uniliver who explained that they haven't changed the price for the new product, the grocer did. I'm quite relieved really and appreciative of the effort they took to explain it. I'm ready to criticise, but also to acknowledge it when I'm wrong. It's still a rip off though. http://luigicappel.wordpress.com
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