It Only Takes 20-Hours To Learn Anything. Digital-First Leadership

In a TedTalk by Josh Kaufman, he describes how it only takes 20 hours to learn anything new. 

His statement seems to contradict Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers: The Story of Success, which revolves around the “10,000-hours theory.”

The difference here is that the 10,000-hour theory refers to the amount of time it takes to master a skill. 

But to go from grossly incompetent to reasonably good, the truth is it only takes 20 hours.

If you spend half an hour a day deliberately practicing, you will soon put in enough time to become proficient and experienced in any skill, including becoming a digital-first leader.

At BlissPoint, we train salespeople and leaders from all over the world how to build their online presence and lead their tribe through LinkedIn.

But we've discovered that the same three myths about social media keep coming up. I’ve written about these myths before. Yet, they continue to prevent professionals from adopting the skills to lead digitally first. 

MYTH #1: They don't have the time. 

MYTH #2: All social media is self-promotional. 

MYTH #3: They feel that they don't have anything to say. 

Often these three myths are excuses to cover up their discomfort, lack of knowledge, and lack of familiarity with the platform.

I don’t blame them. Taking on a new challenge––one that you know little about––can be rather intimidating. 

But BlissPoint cuts through these myths AND gets to the root of the problem––which is that many people find social media intimidating and overwhelming when just starting out. 

We teach the skills you need and break them down in a way that’s digestible. 

The Method

There is a method to effective practicing, and you need the right tools before you can begin.

In order to learn your new skill in 20 hours, you must adhere to the following: 

1.  Research

Start by researching the skill you want to learn about and any surrounding topics. 

My recent book, “DigitalFirst Leadership,” is an excellent resource for those wanting to build an online presence but don’t know where to start or are plagued by the myths surrounding social media.

1. Define your target performance level

Decide what metrics will indicate whether you’ve met your goal. 

If you choose to learn the skill of digital-first leadership (and I hope you do)––you’d likely measure your performance by the number of views and comments, or the number of connections on LinkedIn, or the amount of engagement you generate from customers and prospects.

1. Decide on a dedicated time and place to practice

Pick a place and time where you can practice your craft without distractions. Then, commit to your schedule and show up every day.  

1. Deconstruct the skill

Learning something new is less daunting when you break the process up into small parts. 

For example, you can deconstruct Digital-First Leadership into a sub-set of skills as we do in our BlissPoint Social Selling training:

1. Social Selling in a Digital-First World
2. Getting your Digital House in Order
3. Hacking the LinkedIn Algorithm 
4. The Power of Commenting
5. Building your Social Squad
6. Connecting with Partners and Prospects

Now that you’ve created a deliberate plan, you can begin your 20-hours of focused practice. 

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If you’re interested in taking on this challenge of becoming a Digital-First Leader in 20-hours, our self-paced online training course on LinkedIn Social Selling is the best place to begin. 

You can find it here: https://www.blisspointconsult.com/training/.

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