Tag: life

Learning in front of others

Posted on by philipdodson

Part of my ongoing journey of getting even better at stuff has involved, more recently, admitting to myself that I don’t know everything and I’m doing something about it. What!! You mean Philip you’re actually applying your learning! Well, trying to.

Back to the point. So Martha lent me this ace book by Austin Kleon called ‘Show your Work’ and I’m only just into the first few pages and I’m loving it.

He talks about a notion of learning in front of others. I love this idea. It’s part of what we’ve been doing for a bit at my coworking space with various groups, especially the Working Out Loud group that we ran.

Sharing our story and sharing our learning and then actually doing the future learning in front of others and sharing what goes well and what doesn’t is vulnerable stuff but one that is very liberating and inspiring, it allows others to help.

Receiving help is something I’m shit at, as I think it shows that I’m weak, more of bullshit gender conditioning that we all suffer.

It’s actually the complete opposite, it’s brave to ask for help.

So be prepared I’m doing all my learning in front of others going forward and I’ll need your help.

Learning out loud.

Half the picture

Posted on by philipdodson

Sometimes I have, and still do, make decisions with only half the picture. In fact, in the past almost all of the time.

Why? Simply because I told myself, I already know how to do that or I have experienced that before. Sure, many situations are the same and therefore learning is gained through experience. But, I thought I know, I don’t need to find out everything.

However, not all situations are the same and maybe I believe that I have handled the best I can because it worked last time.

But I was kidding myself and not stretching myself. I am accepting ‘just good enough’ and I am not taking all the elements into account. I was dismissing others experience and knowledge, thinking ‘I know best’.

I have now started to try and see the full picture, ask more questions, listen more, talk less. Shit, that is hard.

What have I noticed? Well, a great deal more than before. I am seeing things from others perspective and that has been enlightening. I am realising that I do not own the exclusive rights to be right about everything and knowing always what is best.

Not every decision has to be taken with such great care, but for the ones that matter, I am learning to make even better ones.

Like all things in my life, it is a work in progress, but the clearer the picture, the better the chance of making a better decision. Just another step in journey.