Learning Makes The Difference
My experience with a young child shows us how to identify unique opportunities to learn something new.
To be successful in today’s changing environment, we need to broaden our skills and learn new ways to contribute to our business. In the heat of an argument, people often shout, “Stop acting like a child!” What they didn’t realize is that children exhibit certain behaviors that we would do well to emulate.
At a family gathering over the July 4th weekend, I got to spend some time with my niece’s two-year-old daughter, Kayla. She was adorable! She had an amazing vocabulary, spoke very expressively, and just seemed to love being around people.
But what I most enjoyed about her was how she was so focused on learning. If you’ve ever spent any time around two-year-olds, you know that their favorite expression is, “What’s that?” Kayla was no exception as we walked around the house together. Pointing at the fireplace, she would say: “What’s that?” Pointing at the phone, “What’s that?” Pointing at the candle, “What’s that?”
With each answer I gave her, I could see her mind cataloging the information. Later that evening, she pointed at a candle in another part of the house, and confidently stated, “Candle!”
Children seem to be in a perpetual state of learning—observing, inquiring, and organizing— for no other reason than their natural inquisitiveness. Unfortunately, as we get older, enter the workforce, and become more cynical and jaded by what we see around us, we seem to lose our desire to learn. We become set in our ways, relying on what we already know, and attempting to use tools and methods that were adequate yesterday to work in an environment that is altogether different today.
In today’s rapidly changing environment, it may be useful to examine the world with a child’s sense of curiosity and wonder. Try to identify opportunities from which to learn—from your peers, from formal classes, from reading—and you will be more able to make a greater contribution to your organization, to your staff, and to your own well being.
Ron Rosenberg helps businesses get more customers than they know what to do with and keep them for life. Get your FREE Gift from Ron – over $349 in business resources guaranteed to increase sales and revenue – at www.qualitytalk.com/ima.
