Strenghthen your Fundamentals

Throughout our professional journeys, beyond acquiring the technical skills specific to our roles, we often develop non-technical or soft skills. Sometimes, success in certain areas can stem from natural talent, observing successful colleagues, or repeatedly facing similar situations, rather than intentional, fundamental knowledge acquisition.

Fundamental knowledge is the basic skill set necessary for task accomplishment, forming a solid foundation crucial for sustainable professional growth. Having missing or incomplete foundational steps can jeopardize one's career, akin to a house of cards ready to collapse.

Illustrating the significance of fundamental knowledge, let's consider Flea, the renowned bassist of Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2008, despite immense success, Flea enrolled at the University of Southern California to study music. Acknowledging the gaps in his understanding, he sought to unlock his full potential by delving into the fundamentals.

"I studied music at the most remedial level when I was a kid, through the Los Angeles public schools, with a little private instruction," Flea says. "All my career, all that I've really done has been based on emotion and intuition and gravitating toward what sounds good."?

Despite his already staggering success and the widespread belief that he possessed all the knowledge required to excel as an entertainer and exceptional musician, he couldn't shake the feeling that something crucial was eluding him. Despite his prowess, there was an unidentifiable void in his understanding, leaving him on a quest to unravel the missing pieces within the fundamentals. This pursuit aimed to provide the essential insights that would catalyze his continuous evolution and artistic advancement.

Flea took many years to understand what he was missing and probably many other years to create a plan and act on it. To expedite this realization and action in our lives, the follow steps could be considered:

1. Start with a self-assessment: Regularly reflecting on your experiences, achievements, and challenges can help identify areas where you may lack knowledge or skills. Ask yourself? questions about what you have learned and what you still need to learn.

• SWOT analysis might be a great support when evaluating.

1. Check the market: Regularly engage in industry research to stay up-to-date with current trends, technologies, and best practices. Identify areas where your knowledge may be outdated or incomplete.

• Benchmarking: Compare your skills and knowledge against industry benchmarks or standards. This can reveal gaps that need attention.
• Participate in short conferences and quick courses before jumping into intense training. Assess the content covered against our existing knowledge to identify areas that need further exploration.

1. Similar to what I have mentioned in many other posts, don’t underestimate the “Power of Networking”. It can be the validation of our expertise at the same time it can open your eyes to what we are missing, allowing us to getting on the moving trend.

Many of us resonate with Flea's sentiments – the instances where executing a task in a particular manner felt emotionally or logically justified, yet lacked a theoretical or foundational basis to elucidate the decision. It was a matter of it just feeling right. While relying on intuition is valuable (as the saying goes, "Gut feeling is silver"), embracing knowledge adds a layer of richness and precision, elevating it to the status of gold.

Now, approaching this from an exploratory or na?ve perspective, what are the three foremost advantages of fortifying fundamental knowledge?

1. It increases confidence, mainly during turbulent times, improving problem-solving due to a more streamlined communication.
2. It allows for more creative thinking and innovation, fostering a career sustainability, even during industry changes, economic fluctuations, and technological advancements, ensuring longevity and relevance.
3. It builds more trust and credibility with colleagues, clients, and superiors, and it brings the tools to support the team growth.

Due to the fact that we acknowledge the need to reassess our skill toolkit and potentially acquire or revisit fundamental skills, a new question arises: how can we effectively undertake this endeavor?

1. Engaging with professional associations, online communities, meet-ups, and networking events offers invaluable insights into emerging trends and learning opportunities. Seeking out dedicated learning apps, attending in-person courses, and participating in industry webinars are additional avenues for acquiring the knowledge you seek.
2. Recognize that fundamental knowledge isn't confined to classrooms or computer screens; consider finding a mentor or practitioner who can provide real-world guidance to enhance your skills.
3. Embrace the notion that teaching is a reciprocal process—"The Teaching Process Can Also Be a Learning Path." Share your knowledge to deepen your understanding and proficiency.
4. Crafting a learning portfolio becomes crucial for mapping your journey, evaluating growth, and determining the level of dedication to specific aspects of your development.

By observing our idol’s humility and commitment to professional growth, we gain insights into revisiting foundational elements that, when refined, amplify our prospects for achieving greater success in life. It’s never late to learn and cover gaps!

Be humble, be thoughtful and be kind.

Happy #fridaynotes.?

Edited by: Eduarda Martinhago de Oliveira