We’ve all been actively involved in Learning at Work Day which has been hugely rewarding and lots of fun. And it’s left me wondering …’If we need to have a LAW day does that mean that many of us don’t think about how much we are learning every day?’
Learning comes in many forms and so I’d like to share a personal learning experience that I had recently.
We’ve been developing our suite of 90 minute ‘quick win’ sessions for some time and while we’ve been enormously proud of the content we just couldn’t get the message and marketing material right. So we finally decided to seek some external help from our friends at marketing experts onefishtwofish and we thank Cat for a really enlightening session.
I’d have to say I had more ‘doh’ moments in two hours than I’d had for some time… including
- We’d lost sight of the purpose (we always say focus on the outcome)
- By adding more detail we made it so complicated (keep things simple is a key L&B principle)
- We we’re being nice not honest with each other about our sperate contributions (honesty is one of our values)
- The project had begun to feel like a chore (fun is another value …and we know how it helps creativity)
- We we’re thinking about what we wanted to say rather than what our customers needed to hear (going against everything we believe in offering world class service!)
I could go on but will stop right there! It’s a bit like the doctor who doesn’t take his own medicine, the teacher with unruly kids of their own …the learning specialist not heeding the words of wisdom she shares with people every day.
So, having reminded myself of some of those words of wisdom here are 3 top tips:
- Take time to reflect. It’s only when you stand back that you can catch sight of the bigger picture rather than getting bogged in the detail
- Listen (really listen) to those you serve: your customers, your team, your family. If you are getting frustrated by always being asked the same questions then stop and ask what you’re not saying clearly enough in the first place.
- Know when to ask for expert help. In the current climate many people are taking on extra responsibilities so be clear about those you can handle with confidence and those when a couple of hours spent with an expert could save days in the end.
I’d love to hear yours
Happy learning
Gill
