Learning in New Places

I look for learning in whatever I’m doing. An avid reader, I tend to read nonfiction titles, especially history, business, and biographies. But last year, owing to the author being one of my favorites, I changed it up and reread a book about baseball: Spring Training by William Zinsser. In reflecting on what I learned, I’ve distilled them into 5 key takeaways.

#1) Embrace failure as a learning opportunity

Zinsser’s blunt: “Baseball is a negative game. A hitter who bats .300—the game’s standard of excellence—fails seven times out of ten.” Yet hitters still come up to bat, again and again, despite regularly failing. Why? “Losing is a healthy part of growing” and enables players to develop the resilience to improve a batting average and break a streak of failures.

To be sure, business plans regularly fail; proposals are often rejected, if they’re ever replied to; and promotion requests aren’t always approved. So, as painful, humiliating, and frustrating as it is to endure failure, there’s one clear advantage: it’s a way to take stock and make any necessary changes.

#2) Preparation is crucial

As many of the baseball players admitted in interviews, the time spent before the season—i.e., spring training—is crucial to refining the skills that will be needed throughout the long season. To one player, preparation is the most important aspect of spring training because: “Anything you want to undertake, preparation is absolutely vital: how well you prepare physically and how well you prepare mentally.”

The daily honing of your skills, which all IBMers know well, leads to another important element: Confidence. Whether it’s for a meeting, presentation or an interview, investing the proper time to achieve the intended result is crucial. And it requires two things according to a player Zinsser interviewed: “One is desire. The other is endurance: stick-to-itiveness.”

#3) Be open to new ways of working

When speaking to Zinsser, the general manager of the baseball team said this: “There are no territories with me…But in corporations everywhere else, everybody’s got these little territories. It becomes nothing but politics, and creativity is nonexistent. If you can’t use the mind you’ve been given, that’s a sad state of affairs.” Many, I assume, can relate to the quote. And that’s why being open to new ways of working and to accepting new team members and their ideas is critical to improving how you work. After all, as a former CEO of IBM once said: “There is no such thing as standing still.”

Change is rarely easy, but with the way technology is impacting today’s working environment, it’s close to obligatory. And it starts with being receptive to fresh ideas, adapting your approach, and having a growth mindset.

#4) Seek out smart and successful people—and learn from them

Zinsser notes how curious rookies (or first-year players) were around the veterans. They eagerly sought out advice on practicing, hitting, and preparing for baseball’s long season. By seeking out insight, these younger players looked to learn by collecting the strategies that could inform their approach and help them succeed. In the words of one baseball player: “I love to talk to successful people… I want to know what he feels and what he thinks and what he believes.”

#5) Get in the game

To succeed, there’s one thing you must absolutely do: Be in the game. One of best players that Zinsser spoke with put it this way. “But it’s like anything else you want to do. Unless you put it to use, it doesn’t work. You know that, being a writer—you can’t go on book knowledge alone.”

Along the same lines, wanting to succeed and enjoying what you’re doing is a powerful combination, especially when learning something new. “The most important thing about my transition to third base is that I wanted to play third base. When you want to do something you’re more relaxed at it and you learn more.”

Learning is a Long Game

In his book, Zinsser mixes a childhood love of baseball with insights that have wide application to any professional working today, including on skills, ways of working, and growth mindset. Even if you’re not a sports fan, there’s tremendous value in Spring Training, one that emphasized my #Love4Learning again!