Learn by Doing

I can remember in my basement room 14 years ago holding my “new to me” black and red, little Sigma guitar. I distinctly recall having the craving to rip out an emotional rendition of “Only in Dreams” but reality was I didn’t have a clue how to play. I began the arduous journey of learning Nirvana power chords; I was spending 10 hours some days sitting there playing “Come as You Are” over and over again. Pretty soon, after a few months of feeling rhythmic and memorizing finger placement I was a rock star. Not really, but I really loved to play. A few months after picking up my black beauty I began to start experimenting with my own songs and herein began a passion.

Now, I didn’t have YouTube (yet to be created) but I did have Dean O Raja, a friend who was always one step ahead on the guitar. He was able to teach me new tricks and songs. Learning by whatever means without doing is learning the WHAT. In this example the WHAT is playing guitar. It was not until I learned the HOW, by DOING. You see listening and doing are connected, sure but not until I started PRACTICING the WHAT did I learn how to play! What to do and how to do it are two different kinds of knowledge and it's tough telling them apart at times.

WHAT TO DO is considered something you may have intellectual knowledge about.

HOW TO DO IT = Instinct or maybe even habit.

When learning how to play guitar my instructions by Death Master Dean were informative and helpful. However, not until I started practicing did my knowledge turn to skill and the excitement of progress started to create a true conversion and instinct. Using the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.”

Making a powerful statement and one in which I sincerely believe in I implore your serious contemplation in this eternal truth: our purpose is to learn by doing. Learn humility by being humble. Learn patience by practicing patience. Learn love by loving.

Give Belief

When I performed interviews as a manager I would have my assistant go to the front of the office and walk the interviewee back to my office through the maze of cubicles. On this journey they would be walking by nearly every employee in the branch. This was an unofficial assessment of the masses and was performed regularly. Thinking back to several occasions when, after the interview, I was approached by a current employee warning me of the person with whom I just interviewed. If I were to take to heart the words that were said by the “confidential informer” would I be giving any justice to the new hire? If I were told they were a lazy clock watcher, it would be human nature to consciously or subconsciously give them special attention and make them feel as if I were giving them unfair treatment, smothering them, or possibly micromanaging their work.

Think back to any experience when you knew that your boss, coach, parent, or anyone gave up on you or believed something about you that may not have been true. You may think to yourself now, hey I’d fight through it and it would make me better. That’s not really the case. The truth for most people is: you would doubt yourself. Is what they’re saying true? Why do they think that of me? Already you should see, it’s taking your focus off the item at hand, rather than accomplishing, your mind is full of fuzz. If you don’t believe in someone, be prepared for them to feel this way too!

Okay, let’s go back to my new hire scenario. I could sit back and wait for the facts about the individual; find out for myself what kind of person this is and how they will fit in the organization. This may sound okay at first thought but could prove to be very harmful. Those with whom you want to influence or those with whom you love would lose out on motivational forces that could have been applied. When belief and trust is given, marvelous can be the outcome. Taking time to monitor and assess sounds logical but in looking for results the emphasis should be on motivation, belief, and trust.

When you label someone or assume something of a person you may fulfill a prophecy of your own. People react to how they are treated and they can feel what you believe about them. There is real possibility, and it should be expected that you will be let down at times but that should never have influence on your ability to lead and develop. Appeal to the good in others by showing them of your belief in their abilities. Goethe, the last true polymath to walk the earth wrote: “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”