22 Learning Insights from 22 Months of Learning

“Always make your learning greater than your experience.”

— Law Two, The Laws of Lifetime Growth: Always Make Your Future Bigger than Your past, Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura

During October, I finished my Capstone paper for my master’s degree. It still seems surreal after working full time and taking classes at night for the last 22 months. The experience was amazing.

I would learn a concept on Tuesday night during class and be able to use the information a couple of days later with a client.

The material was rich, and my character was stretched during the process. Simply re-reading my notes from class this week, I discover so many little nuggets that I have already forgotten. So, to cement the material, I thought it best to write out 22 learning insights I found helpful. (These concepts are in no particular order!)

I truly hope you enjoy this list and that you can glean some of your own insights from the following.

22 Learning Insights:

1. We cannot prove things about 100% of any set or subset of people. Be careful about bias — people are far too complex to say “all” withy any sort of accuracy.
2. People can handle good news and bad news. People cannot handle ambiguity.
3. Crisis is a great revealer. What is broken will become disastrous during a crisis.
4. The medium is the message. Make sure you are communicating using the right medium. If it’s important, pick up the phone and call, rather than using text or email.
5. No response is a response.
6. When you are managing up, be sure to honor the stress and pressure your boss is under. It is important to acknowledge that you have thought about their position.
7. Trust the trustworthy. You know who they are.
8. Make sure your influence helps the most people.
9. Learn to approach life knowing it is hard.
10. Pigs get fat, but hogs get eaten. Don’t try and get rich off every deal. Make things fair.
11. Deal with obstacles. They are not going away.
12. People fire themselves.
13. The people you manage are the work.
14. Your policies should be guidelines.
15. What is acted upon, changes.
16. Successful people say “no” all the time.
17. Words make worlds.
18. We all need real, honest feedback. We need to know what we don’t know.
19. 85% of the things we worry about will never happen.
20. Relationship problems are the root of most workplace issues.
21. A leader too far ahead becomes the enemy.
22. If you want to improve your judgement, yearn for it.

I’ve truly enjoyed being a student during this phase of personal and professional growth and development and I am always looking for ways to put into action the things I’ve learned. I encourage you to ask yourself: In what ways do you need to be stretched? And in what ways can you and your organization grow?

Are you feeling stuck? Contact me today to see how we can help. Let’s begin.