Chief Unlearning Officer!
07/15/02
Yoram "Jerry" Wind challenges us all to drive learning at every level of leadership starting with the CEO: "We talk about the learning organization. But we have to balance learning with unlearning. What can I learn from the past, and how can I unlearn the things that might constrain me? Balancing the two, learning and unlearning, must be a dynamic process. And the CEO must drive this. The CEO should be the 'chief unlearning officer.'"
Strategic learning doesn't just happen; learning must be driven by every leader at every level of the organization. It starts by modeling what you want to see in your team; keep learning yourself and keep talking about what you have learned. The best leaders never rest on lessons learned and are always eager to learn anything that will give them a strategic advantage. Don't just send your people to training; help them focus their objectives before they leave and require them to share at least three lessons learned on their return. To keep your people learning on their own, keep asking the question: "What have you learned or read in the last week that we as a team can learn from?" The first time you ask that question, they will think you have been to a training seminar. If you keep asking that question, they will know that you really do expect them to keep learning and to benefit from what they have learned. Don't forget to look for training helps that you can use as catalysts to stimulate strategic change. Have everyone read the same book at the same time or start a meeting with a CD or video training segment targeted for issues your team is addressing. Use staff meetings to then discuss lessons learned. Finally, don't be afraid to be your own "Chief Unlearning Officer" by talking about the skills and the processes you will need to leave behind to invent the future. What can you do this week to make a strong investment in learning for you and your team?
MONDAY'S MIRTHFUL MOMENT
While we are putting our focus on learning, let's add a mirthful journey through some new words for the workplace in 2002 compliments of my number one supplier, Loren Ekroth. Enjoy!
BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.
PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.
SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.
STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.
PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the living daylights out of an electronic device to get it to work again.
OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake you can't take back.
When you keep your eyes open for mirth, you just may find it! Hope this kicks off your morning and helps get your mood adjusted for the week. Now, get busy MAKING CHANGE WORK and have some fun along the way!...