Learn how to learn

As much as every parent wants their children out of harm’s way, we know that an accident they walk away from is a blessing in disguise. Experience is often the best teacher, especially to a young driver.

Yet seasoned professionals approach learning superficially at best. We are voracious readers, consume a healthy dose of TED Talks and podcasts, and are always seeking seminars and workshops, all of which are certainly worthwhile investments to make but which fall significantly short when compared to experiential learning.

Take the concept of teamwork, for example. We are familiar with teamwork in general since practically every aspect of our lives depends on it, but it can be hard to understand and master the teamwork necessary to accomplish uncommon results. Best-selling authors speak about “being in the trenches together” or “sharing a foxhole” to convey the degree of teamwork necessary in high-performing teams. Unless you have actually been in trench warfare or sat in a foxhole while others shot at and tried to kill you and your teammates, you will never understand the degree of teamwork being described.

You don’t have to be in the military to put yourself in situations that help you internalize concepts critical to a high-performing team beyond intellectual understanding. I choose to pursue ultramarathon running because it constantly forces me to be clear and specific, disciplined and resilient, and oriented to teamwork, all while physically experiencing my progress, failures, and successes.

To optimize learning and develop muscle memory…

—> Work only on a few and highly specific concepts at a time. It’s not good enough to say you want to develop your strategic thinking. A better goal may be to develop the ability to consistently make hard choices.

—> Put yourself in situations of some consequence, such as playing the song you learned in front of loved ones or inviting them to the finish line of a race you trained for.

—> Understand that muscle memory requires time and repetition. Change your definition of success from “learned” to “consistently evidenced.”