LEARNABILITY 23 January

I know it's a little late, but welcome to 2024 - a new year with new paths to explore and new way to grow your skillset.

I hope it's going well for you.

Let's get on with those Learnability nuggets...

?? Entrepreneurs

The Best Way to Eat an Elephant

When you’re trying to grow your business or career, the bigger the goal, the better, right? To some extent, I’d agree.?

But big goals can also be self-defeating. They can - quite frankly - be terrifying.

The answer, as I’m sure you already know, is to break them into smaller tasks.?

So far, so good.?

But, in reality, it’s not so obvious when a challenging task, is a combination of smaller ones.?

For example, take revamping your website. Obviously, this can be broken down into smaller goals such as improving your marketing strategy, writing better text, and getting new photos taken.?

But then, each one of these can be broken down even further and further until you get to quantum tasks - actions you need to do that can’t be broken down any further.

The benefit of breaking things down to quantum tasks is that not only does it leave you with a lot of bite-sized tasks that are much easier to digest, but also you will be able to start dealing with each one more quickly.

It's a useful skill.

So think about what elephant-size goal you’re facing and consider the quantum tasks that are involved.

Are they all quantum tasks, or could you break them up anymore?

Learning to do this little skill can make a big difference to your procrastination or your frustration of not making the progress you want.

The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time and the sooner you start, the better.

?? HR

Quality One-on-One

Getting the most from your team is a never-ending story for HR.?

Personal development can require so many assessments, metrics, and evaluations, you have enough on your plate to last you till next Christmas (and we’re only in January now).?

But as far as development goes, I still believe there is a lot to be said for the old-school technique of quality one-on-one conversations.

Instead of making your people feel measured or judged, how about making them feel listened to and understood?

By creating dedicated time for managers and employees to connect, discuss goals, and share insights, you are laying the foundation for a healthier and more positive workplace.?

These intimate sessions not only provide a platform for professional development but also cultivate a sense of individual worth and improve employee experience.?

So when was the last time you had a quality conversation with someone with the sole intention of listening to what's important for them regarding their own personal development within the company and how you can support it?

When was the last time someone had that conversation with you?

?? Personal Development

Reflections

I was recently asked what was the most important factor that made the difference between success and failure regarding personal development.

It’s a tricky question because it depends on so much.

But one factor that regularly appears at the top of my list is reflection.

Most people are good at setting their goals.

They are good at having a go at achieving them.

Then they finish, by either achieving it or by giving up.

And then… they move on to their next goal.

But, hang on! Where’s the reflection?

Many people skip taking time to deliberately reflect on their own experiences and learn from them.

My suggestion for doing this is instead of keeping a diary or a gratitude journal, experiment with keeping a reflection journal.

For each of your projects, answer these 3 questions:

1. What went well?
2. What could have gone better?
3. What could you do differently next time to increase the likelihood of success?

By taking time to stop and think, you increase the amount you learn from your experiences (the bad ones as well as the good ones) and so improve your chances of success the next time.

Isn't that what personal development is all about?

?? Parents and Students

Mr. Everything English

One of my nieces has been homeschooling since September.

She’s taken to it like a duck to water and is well ahead of where she would have been if she had to go at the pace dictated by the school.

One of the reasons is she can choose which resources to use.

Following my recommendation, she did some research into the material available online and she was surprised by how much is out there.

One of her favourite is Mr. Everything English who doesn’t waste time beating about the bushes. He goes directly to how to answer English exam questions to get top marks. Here’s a quote (of many) from his YouTube website:

“You are amazing. I appreciate you getting straight to the relevant things we must know. I'm in year 11 now and my grade went from a 4 to a 7.”

If you know anyone who is taking their GCSE English this year, they need to follow Mr Everything English.

Visit Mr Everything English here

?? Learning Clubbers

Emotional Resilience

For anyone interested in my personal development accelerators, my next Open Online Learning Club is next Monday 12th February at 19:30 CET.

We’ll be looking at how Learning Clubs work and sharing how the emotional side of personal development can help or hinder your progress and what you can do about it.

Click here now to book your place .

What I'm Doing At The Moment

• This term's Learning Clubs have now started. It's great to meet new faces with new personal development goals and see their plans crystallise.
• One of the things I’m doing since the start of this year is actively looking for events that I can support speaking about Learnability.
• Coffee Lunch Coffee: I’m still stretching my introvert tendencies and making the effort to get out there and meet people. In fact I have a networking lunch today in Sabadell after I've posted this Newsletter.
• I’ve been asked to take part in a TV series about the stories behind expat entrepreneurs in Spain. Looking forwards to seeing how this develops. Watch this space.
• Another thing I’m learning about is Marketing - especially regarding my own services as a Learning Club facilitator and speaker. Expect some serious improvement in the way I communicate during the next few months. Thank you to Cristóbal Rodríguez , Richárd Majsai and Adam Goldthorp for your marketting support.
• In my theatre company, the last of our new actors arrived to meet our ‘temporada alta’. It’s been full on rehearsals and by the end of this week I’m sure they will all be good to go.
• Finally, this month I passed another milestone - my 750-day Streak on Duolingo. Learning happens where your habit meet your limits. This has definitely become a habit.

?? If you're interested in setting up a Learning Club accelerator in your organisation, contact me here on LinkedIn.

?? If you are organising an event and would like your attendees to triple the value they get from it, invite me to lead (or end) with my keynote on Learnability.

?? If you are interested in selling me your services on website design, marketing or lead generation, please don't. I already have people who are doing it and I'm very happy with them, so stop spamming me... pretty please.

In the meantime, have a great month, and keep learning ??