Not knowing undermines our position
"I am a fast learner"
The words you'll never hear me say.
It took me a while to figure it out (🤔), but in general it takes me longer than most to learn stuff. It is one of the main reasons why I wasn't great at school and why I was a slow burn on the sporting field.
It also smashed my confidence and muted my voice from youth and well into the first decade of my career. This made for a tense few years in the early 2000's when I was the Assistant to the MD of a startup Health Spa in Islington.
A high tension fast-paced scenario where the strategy moved daily as impatient Singaporean investors were asking for updates constantly. As a leader I needed to over-communicate my thinking, observations, research, and proactively question and instruct others around me. But I did not. There was so much I did not know. I felt unintelligent and docile. I thought I needed to be more and know more. Yet, I didn't have the skills to be curious and lead conversations with vulnerability. The MD would constantly bemoan 'why don't you speak up!' His frustration would boil over when it was too late to make decisions and costly mistakes were made.
It is not easy to not-know-stuff.
In our modern workplaces there is a lot of assumed knowledge. Acronyms fly around like mysterious shooting stars. Lowered head counts are being asked to get more done meaning there is less mentoring and capability investment. The stakes seem to be raised every year so being left behind is not a safe option. Maybe this is why a recent survey by the AHRI, showed only 42% of leaders felt safe to discuss their struggles.
There is a clear and present workplace environment mirroring that of my situation in London all those years ago.
It is no wonder we have inter-generational challenges with confronting issues and problems that need solving in our workplaces. Leaders and general staff alike do not feel confident to approach tough scenarios and difficult people. It is rampant and it is costing us. The hesitancy to speak up, question, and confront our teams is killing productivity, and even worse, our vitality.
In my work I break this down into processes and checklists to approach our conversations (technique). I work through five levels of thinking for a consistent approach to our decision making (strategy). And, I spend time helping people with the intra- and inter-personal management skills to keep doubt, ambiguity, and fragility at bay (resilience). With this we see professional leaders equip themselves to confidently put their hands, head, and heart to work. All without hesitation in scenarios whether they know, don't know, or need-others-to-know!
If us 'slow learners' can combat hesitation and paralysis, then the quick learners (if they exist!) will make-hay.
