If you have read any of my blogs, you will realize how keen I am on learning new things. My partner, Harvey, used to asked people who were looking for work, "what have you learned new in the last year?" Indicates lots of things about their openness to new ideas and innovation. I believe Harvey tried about a million different contact managers and time management programs and approaches. Lately I have working on learning more about global issues and blogging. I started a web site called http:/www.ourglobalissues.com and using this site for blogging. I think I have written more in the last year than I had in the rest of my career. Interesting.
Our examples I have become interested in singing in the last few years and instead of just joining a group, I have been taking singing lessons. My teacher said to me that he figured I was quite a bright guy and I thought that I could think my way to better singing. Does not work that way. It is a feeling think and practice, patience and persistence. Just like golf. However I am exercising different parts of my personality.
I am also interested in spiritual matters and my presence process pursuit and exploring the "eternal now" is a keen pursuit of mine.
I am not trying to show off but to demonstrate how one can continue to learn new things. Discussions of ideas at our Senge Group and Our Global Issues Group really keep me juiced. Lots of fun.
I had an HP Jornada, one of the early Windows CE based PDAs when PalmPilots were just starting to take-off. I would be in a meeting in Harvey Gellman’s office and the meeting would be winding up. Harvey would take out his paper based, chequebook sized, day-time and ask when we would plan to meet again. I’d whip out my fancy PDA and fumble around trying to get the calendar started, searching for the right day and time, struggle with the handwriting recognition software. Harvey would suggest a date and time, write it in his calendar, and say, “I’m finished.” Three to four minutes later I’d have all the information captured in my PDA.
Once I had to go back into his office and ask when the meeting was a second time because something I did whiped out the memory on my PDA before I could sync to my PC to back it up.
Time management 101 lessons from Harvey – keep it simple.
I still use a PDA, it’s a UTStarcom 6700 PDA, cell-phone. I have master the hand writing recognition software. I can do most things in one or two key strokes. But I still struggle with some of the phone to PDA integrated functions.
And I auto dial my contacts all the time without knowing it when I inadvertently hit the wrong buttons.
I wish I could show Harvey how far I’ve come. But I still need to make life simpler.
Thanks for the compliment. I think you can clearly see the many things I have struggled with in my practice. I think that the things I write about are the things I need to learn and relearn.
I am so glad you are finding them helpful.
My guess is that the process is ingrained in you and now with your four steps steps you can nail most anything.
1. Plan and Research
2. Listen and Drill
3. Evolve through conversation
4. Build and summarize.
You will never know how important these posts have been to me and the team.
Thanks.
These are good examples of stepping outside your comfort zone to learn. One of the interesting things about blogging and being in a team is the opportunity for immediate feedback and learning.
I have been immersed in a couple of projects over the past couple of weeks and have been learning an emense amount about many different things. The great part is that I am only one out of the 15 of us and am learning all the time. We are even looking to start leveraging the Agile huddle to do a quick review session every day to align everything.
Learning has never been easier and more fun.