7 Big Enemies of Learning (and the Antidotes)
The futurist Alvin Toffler famously said, “The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
In their book Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence, Chalmers Brothers and Vinay Kumar describe sixteen “enemies of learning.” They adopted them as first described by Julio Olalla, the noted coach, writer and teacher, and founder of The Newfield Network.
These enemies include attitudes, assessments, and mindsets that, when firmly rooted, make learning or growth difficult.
The traditional message that virtually everyone has been bombarded with since we were conscious enough to watch TV, listen to the radio or read advertisements, regardless of the field is that you the consumer are reinforced with the idea that if you have, you will do, and then be. HAVING leads to DOING leads to BEING.
LEARNING = DOING (the thing even while you’re not good at it)
LEARNING = Time + Practice (we get better by doing it again and again, cause and effect)
You can also ratchet up the intensity and systematize it to the next level and add to your practice a rigor.
All of which is to say learning about something is not the same as learning to DO
One of the more interesting things about the current difficult economic environment has been watching how different business leaders have reacted to it. Those who have done the best to secure their companies’ interests, protect their market positions, and retain their best people, have in my experience been those who immediately went into learning mode.
Whether they look at the changes as an opportunity to learn new strategies for success, or simply to learn how to survive in the new environment, they have opened themselves and their organizations to learning. In doing so, they have discovered new possibilities for themselves and their companies.
Time Stamps:
2:16--The illiterate of the future are not those who can't read or write. But those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
4:22--Advertising is based on one thing
11:31--Principle number one
12:37--Deliberate practice
15:59--Where are you being led in your life to be experiencing learning outside your comfort zone?
16:46--Number one, our inability to admit that we don't know.
20:09--The antidote
21:54--Number two, confusing information with real knowing.
23:31--The antidote
24:13--A lack of priority for learning (never have time)
25:50--The antidote
26:22--Lack of trust
30:00--The antidote
32:07--Ignoring the emotional dimension of learning
35:00--Ignoring the body as a dimension of learning
39:00--The final enemy of learning on today's list, constantly having big opinions and assessments
Show Notes and Links:
Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence by Chalmers Brothers and Vinay Kumar
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Follow up with us and check out our Burnout Coaching Package here.
