As the business world continues to change, you may need to rethink your stages of learning. At work, you’re paid for your expertise but you may feel like it’s no longer up to date.
How do you become confident in what you know, what you don’t know, and what you need to learn? Use these stages of learning as a guide:
I Know It
It’s great that you know something. You understand it and can explain it well to someone else. There’s a confidence that comes from understanding.
However, in today’s world, what you know about something may not stay current for long. For instance, you may feel like you’re an expert in artificial intelligence. But that’s a field that’s constantly changing, so what you know, may no longer be what’s current.
There is a difference between knowing something and staying up to date on the subject. Staying current demands an ongoing investment in time. But since you have a good foundation of understanding on the topic, it makes sense to go further.
I Don’t Know
Not knowing something should never feel embarrassing. You can’t know everything and inadvertently claiming to have understanding, when you don’t have it, can lead to problems.
You may know the history of airplanes but that doesn’t mean you’re the right person to fly a plane in an emergency.
Sometimes, you don’t fully know something but you pay someone who does. Maybe you hire a designer to make slides for your presentation. It’s smart to use an expert.
But if you’re asked a question about the making of your slides, don’t pretend to have the answer. It’s better to admit your limitations, give the credit to someone else, rather than make a response that’s basically a lie.
When you overstate your talents and abilities, the lie often comes back to haunt you. It’s better to say, “I don’t know.”
I Don’t Know…Yet
Maybe you don’t know something but feel like you need to know a lot more about it. It’s smart to keep your eyes open to emerging trends.
This is when you make a commitment to learn. This will involve an investment of time, so make sure you can fulfill it.
Gaining knowledge or learning how to use new software can be very empowering. It may also boost your career and signal to others that your focus is on the future and not stuck on past successes.
But before anything can happen, you must have the courage to admit you don’t know something, the curiosity to find out how you can learn more, and then the discipline to follow through. Seek out experts and other sources that can reduce your learning curve.
When it comes to stages of learning, the game has changed. Play it right and success will likely follow. Learning is an important part of your leadership evolution.
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