How Not to Learn

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