7th Grade Again

On Friday, I had a chance to participate as an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow and Comerica Bank volunteer for a unique program.  Members of the business community and other volunteers spent the morning with 80 seventh graders from 20 Houston area middle schools.  These bright young students had the chance to hear about various careers from 40 folks working in various industries.  Each student had the chance to hear 6 different business representatives talk about their jobs and industry for 8 minutes, then were given 7 minutes to ask questions.

The objective was to expose these students to various career paths prior to their 8th grade deadline to choose a high school curriculum.   Each school's 4 students rotated to different tables so each school was potentially exposed to 24 of the 40 business representatives participating.  And one of the expectations of attending was for students to share the information learned with their classmates who weren't a part of the group.

Anticipating being with the students made me think about things I wish I'd known as a seventh grader:

• everyone you meet is a potential friend for life - learn not only about your friends, but your teachers
• the wide array of career options available and what it would be like to work in various fields
• continuous learning is part of constructing a successful life
• how critical it is to work effectively in teams throughout life
• to try more unfamiliar things rather than sticking with the comfortable known things at which I was capable 
• that track could launch a life-long fitness journey
• that listening is one of the most important communication skills
• to take every reasonable opportunity to practice public speaking
• how important it is to be able to write clearly and succinctly
• that regardless of how busy life was, there would never be a time with fewer responsibilities

What do you wish you'd known as a 7th grader, high school or college graduate, or as you began a new relationship or career?

We Don't Know What We Don't Know

As a continuous learner, I'm very aware that there's always much, much more to learn.  One of my best ways to learn has been to be in a perpetual state of inquisitiveness.  Since we don't know what we don't know, our best options are curiosity, observing, questioning and connecting.

Timeless Resources

I'm a continuous learner and I love sharing tools, resources and tidbits with others.  Through the years I've learned that just because I know and embrace something, life can get in the way of others seizing these offered opportunities.  It has been such a treat, to have a new colleague enthusiastically use resources I'd long ago provided that had been forgotten by other tenured colleagues.

When we provide ongoing opportunities, we don't always know what the ultimate impact might be.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning keeps me excited and motivated.  In the past day I've visited with two folks who are at very different stages of their careers.  One recently graduated from college and is understandably doing a lot of on the job learning.  It was exciting to meet him at a large community event.  One of his colleagues invited him, knowing that exposure to community issues and leaders is another critical part of his post-college learning and growth.  The second encounter was catching up with a former colleague who has been in the workforce for 30 years.  She stayed in the same industry, but changed roles at her new company.  Though she has significant career experience,  her company and job learning curve is much like that of the newly minted grad.  And, I reminded her that she would be well-served to keep her community engagement and relationships current as she assesses what her next move might be.

Continuous learning takes many different forms.  Regardless of our age and stage, many of the elements are the same.

Worse then Better

It's difficult to accept that some things must get worse before they get better.  Running through the neighborhood, I saw a totally bare dirt yard.  Though it is unattractive now, it will be lovely in a day or two. 

Growing out bangs is another worse before better experience.  And we have to deal with rain in order to enjoy a rainbow.

Often when we are learning a new skill things are quite awkward until we become proficient.  Since continuous learning keeps us current, marketable and interesting, we need to accept a bit of imperfection in order to keep growing. 

  

Beauty of Imperfection

I'm a largely recovered perfectionist who knows that doing something well is far better than failing to do anything because I'm waiting until it's just right.  But reminders help. The beautiful rose that Edgar placed in a vase in my home office before I got home yesterday reminded of the beauty of imperfection.  This lovely flower had one nonconforming petal.  I intentionally waited to pluck the errant petal, to focus on the flower's overall beauty.  Oddly this minor and easily remedied imperfection provided not only the gift of beauty but also a wonderful visual lesson.

Learning from One Another

As part of the acquisition of my bank, we've changed technology platforms.  We communicate extensively internally and externally using email, contacts and electronic calendaring.  All of this changed dramatically, causing us to learn new ways of performing once familiar tasks.  The frustration is alleviated and the learning curve accelerated as team members discover and share ways to accomplish what we need to do. 

We all go through phases of competency as we adopt new ways of doing things.  Sharing lessons learned reinforces learning throughout the team.

Finding the Benefit in a Negative Change

I've recently had to make a temporary and gargantuan technological change.  I live by my online calendar, email and contacts.  My office and home systems have been the same for too many years to mention. I was recently converted to an office system that is no longer commonly used.

Though I prefer the platform that we will ultimately migrate (back) to, I've decided to try to make lemonade from this current batch of lemons.

Some positive thoughts I've embraced include:

• learning something new keeps us on our toes
• we often ask our associates to embrace change that is as foreign to them as this technology regression is to us
• readily sharing tips and tools accelerates everyone's learning curve and can improve relationships
• we don't always appreciate what we have until we lose it
• I'm resilient
• there are always multiple ways to accomplish tasks
• learning occurs at every age and stage

Obstacles as Opportunities

We often view obstacles negatively.  Obstacles can cause delays, lost opportunities, additional costs and other unpleasant outcomes.  They can also spur creativity, eliminate hasty costly decisions and produce much needed time to think. 

When we deal with obstacles as temporary barriers to be circumvented, removed, minimized or repositioned we can learn from the experience. Sometimes the things we don't want or expect can be exactly what we need for continuous improvement.

Fruits of Life

We all know that when life gives us a lemon, we can (should, will) make lemonade. Though the lemon is the most commonly tapped fruit for life lessons, others abound. The cherry reminds us to be thankful that most of life’s pits are small. The pineapple symbolizes hospitality and encourages us that when things don’t seem right, we can still make upside down cake. The kiwi reminds us that we can all use a little (lot of ) marketing help (this delicious fruit was once known as the Chinese gooseberry).  The apple has so many positive connotations - apple a day, apple of my eye, and a technology brand embraced by the rest of my family (I’m as fanatic about Blackberry – another fruit – as they are about Apple) that we often forget the impact of a bad apple. Bananas show us that the good stuff is inside and we only slip when we focus solely on the peel.

And grapes are what we should aspire to be: great at every stage – fruit, fruit of the vine (wine) and raisins.

The Power of I Don't Know

I've spent most of my life with the expectation that I should know the answers.  Throughout school we are tested on the new information we learn.  And throughout our careers we are expected to know and share information to serve our customers and colleagues. 

In order to continually expand our knowledge and skills we must be willing to admit that there are things we don't know and would like to learn.  Acknowledging that we don't know something can prompt us to research, study, question and connect with others.  Providing others the chance to share knowledge is often a gift to the giver and receiver.  And when we admit that we don't have the expertise, but are able to make a referral to someone who does, we're building networks.

I love knowing the answer, but have also discovered the power of I don't know.

Learning from Others

Our access to information has never been greater.  Trying to sort through all the wonderful sources can be overwhelming.  Here are 6 providers of electronic newsletters that I find valuable:

http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/

http://www.nightingale.com

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/

http://hbr.org

http://www.keithferrazzi.com/

http://littlethingsmatter.com

Why?

"Why? is the favorite question of young children.  They are information sponges. By continuously asking, they gain incredible knowledge.  When we're stuck, we need to once again become childlike, querying ourselves and all those around us.  Children are naturally continuous learners.  As adults, we need to regress to childhood curiosity in order to progress in our thinking, outlook, perspectives and possibilities.

Waxing or Waning

It's beautiful to spot a full moon in a clear sky.  I've known since childhood that anything less than a full moon is waxing or waning.  Since I don't observe the moon routinely, I often wondered whether the phase I saw was waxing or waning.  I assumed that I needed to know what had been happening during previous evenings to accurately ascertain the phase.  It was terrific to discover that in the northern hemisphere the moon phases we see wax left to right and wane right to left.  Without applying the pattern, a partial moon could appear as either waxing or waning. 

A pattern also applies to our personal growth.  When we're open to new information and experiences we're waxing.  When we cease to be curious, and think we know it all, we're quickly waning.  The distinction is only instantly available to the individual.  To accurately assess the phase of another's receptiveness to growth, we need to know what has been happening in prior days.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning is critical for relevance.  It's easy to embrace in concept.  What does it look like in daily life?

Obvious ways to embrace continuous learning include formal training programs, college courses and degree programs.

Less obvious, but other very important ways include:

• active listening sessions with anyone else (regardless of our similarities or differences, we all have tips to share from the different ways that we've succeeded, failed and overcome obstacles)
• embracing the opportunities that change brings (It's easy to recount how many things will be uncomfortably different from the way they were.  It's more productive, progressive and healthful to focus on the positive options afforded.)
• reading!
• speaking
• coaching
• mentoring
• volunteering
• parenting
• friending

Should I ever cease to embrace opportunities to experience new things, ideas and experiences, I will begin the journey to insignificance. My goal is to forever remain vibrant in heart, mind and body.

Thankfully, I've continued to learn today!

Lacrosse

Edgar and the children had been tossing a lacrosse ball around for years, but I'd never seen a lacrosse game until Gar entered middle school.  Many of my friends were equally unfamiliar with the game and said "that's great, at least it's not football".  "No, I told them, it's football with sticks."  Of course it's not.  It just seemed that way initially. 

Though I'm still very much a rules novice, I've come to appreciate lacrosse on many levels.

•  It's a fast-paced game where every play and player makes a difference.  Teamwork is a life-long necessity and it's great to see its importance in a setting that my player loves.
• It requires practice, determination, eye-hand coordination, speed and agility. Each game provides an opportunity to see how well an individual player and the team are mastering these fundamentals.  Life (like lacrosse) is best lived with a desire for continuous learning and receptivity to timely, actionable feedback.  
• The team changes each season as seniors graduate and younger players are selected to join varsity. Seniority is only a matter of age. In lacrosse and life, respect is earned, not commanded. A high functioning team is one where every player is valued as an individual and as a team contributor, regardless of title or tenure.

The icing on the cake is the chance to frequently strengthen the bonds of fond camaraderie with a delightful, supportive, fun-loving group of lacrosse parents.