How Fast Can You Change Tires ?

I was recently visiting a friend of mine and they happened to be watching Formula 1 documentary. I was surprised it takes 1.88 seconds to fit 4 new tires to resume the race. Well for sure formula one isn't the only race that requires changing tires, if we think about our career journey we will find that often we need to learn new skill or topic which means changing our tires fast enough to cope with the race [new trends and needed skillset].

I happened to work with a fellow Corporate Athlete Adriaan Welgraven who has this super strong ability to learn new topics to address it to customers. It is one of the things I learnt while being his mentee, I learned many new topics in a matter of 5 months which allowed me to support better in the deals I was working on. He would introduce a new topic to me that would actually be in demand and in less than a week time can confidently present and even demonstrate a piece of the software.

As an athlete we usually need to learn new techniques or improve in a specific technique or be faster, no matter the output we usually have to elevate day in day out. As I moved from a job to the other I saw this as a necessity, to have this flexibility and to adapt to the changing circumstances. However being a customer advisor I believe this perspective changed a bit, yes I might need to learn new topics in a timely manner but I need to make sure I covered the topic in full as for any of the customers, I'm the subject matter expert. If we think about it in the perspective of Formula 1, If those responsible to change the tires weren't actually fully knowledgeable the consequences will be: risk on the driver's life and risk on the car to get damaged once it leaves the pit shop.

Which brings us to the second point, is change necessary just to check the list? I once came across a quote that got me thinking:

Everything changes, the question is, do we change with it? – John Sellars

When it comes to work I honestly don't believe that we should change with EVERY SINGLE THING. There are two important aspects to put in mind while choosing what to change/learn/develop:

1. Is this something I'm passionate about?
2. Is this something that will help me advance with the changes taking place?

Since we're starting off a new year and after setting some goals, learning something new and being able to learn it fast is something you would want to incubate in your work. This ability of changing tires should come naturally right after you know or determine what you want to learn. Through my practice in learning new things, topics or skills I developed the below sequence:

1. Find a subject matter expert: a person who knows the subject end to end would be of great help to guide you where to search or the steps you need to take. In many topics I wanted to learn to support me as a customer advisor I would start by having an overview understanding from a subject matter expert; it saves time to know which areas of the topic to focus on and what exactly the customer expects.
2. Decide on how deep you want to learn the skill or the topic: It is very helpful when it is a topic because you can determine either a beginners or advanced you want to go. Often when it is a skill you need someone who can assess it and give continuous feedback so you can eventually be a master of this skill.
3. Have a plan with mapped resources: Having a plan in place helps you track your progression however it should be a living document meaning you can change and extend parts of it or even cancel other parts.
4. Have check points: Either with someone you know or with the subject matter expert you spoke to before. This is definitely needed in order to assess how much you accomplished and how much is needed to work on.
5. Practice Practice Practice: Well with every checkpoint have a deliverable, it can be a presentation, a conversation with an expert, a business meeting to practice the skill or showcase the topic.
6. Feedback and move forward: Get feedback and work on it, make sure it is a constructive one that would motivate you forward. [we'll speak about that soon]

Definitely there are many other ways to be able to change tires fast enough to cope with the fast pace we're in now. COVID more than ever demanded us as well to keep this pit shop the fastest engine changing the tires to strive in today's ever-changing world.

Feel free to drop me a message or a comment telling me your thoughts and feedback.

Stay Corporately Fit!

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