Three principles to reinforce learning and to step outside of the comfort zone

In Marathi language there is a beautiful saying "Thaambala Toh Sampalaa" – which means one who decides to stop learning and only depends on their past achievements is at the end of their career.

The first step to grow out of the comfort zone will always involve learning something new. The next one will be to put the learning into practice, stumble, get up, continuously improve, and keep going. Between these two, reinforcement of the newly acquired knowledge or skill is extremely important to get the going relatively smooth.

"Most people live within the confines of their comfort zone. The best thing you can do for yourself is regularly move beyond it. This is the way to lasting personal mastery and to realize the true potential of your human endowments" – Robin Sharma

Many years back I had the privilege of working with an amazing leader from our organization's finance section. Everyone in his department would look at him as the go to person. We were in the middle of an upgrade of our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system when I observed something never seen before. Every single subject matter expert from various business functions of the organization – Engineering, Order Management, Production shop floor, Stores, Procurement and Human Resources – would also look at him as their go to guy. He used to guide them about every small aspect in their areas. He also used to tell them which section of the user manual they should be looking at so as to get maximum business value from the ERP system.

1. Learn by using the principle of "Going through three times"

I was curious and hence asked him what was his secret about knowing so much regarding other functions in which he never worked personally. It was then he shared his method of acquiring knowledge. He told me why it is important to read three times to fully understand new learning or acquire new skill. He had read every user manual for all modules of ERP this way.

• First time when we are acquiring information, it is like trying to solve a puzzle having lots of pieces, which need to be looked at carefully, individually. The only problem we have in real life is that we do not have the picture of the complete puzzle in front of us to refer to. It is critical at this stage to write down as many questions for needed clarifications about what we are learning, while completing all exercises and related practices for the topic or chapter in hand. My friend was old-fashioned guy using a pencil and eraser to write notes and questions in the margins of the books. Now we have multiple technologies available with electronic readers.
• The second time when we go through everything again, we start putting some linkages together. It is equivalent to forming some parts of the puzzle by linking few of the pieces together in each part. Multiple sub-structures and linkages start forming and our understanding becomes little bit better. My friend used to start erasing the questions for which the clarity has been achieved, but then write down new ones.
• Then comes the third iteration, when more and more linkages are put together, while firming up the understanding of individual pieces, thus helping the sub-sections of the puzzle to be put together to complete the puzzle. By the time third reading is done, we no more look at individual pieces but clearly always see the whole picture. This is when the real thorough understanding happens.

2. Understand it by relating in "Three ways"

I was really surprised when I first saw the small booklet – on the subject of "Reading" – my son got when he was in the first grade. Something mentioned therein caught my attention. It was about how to understand what you are reading by relating in different ways, really putting thoughts into it. Since then I started using it whenever I was learning something new. May be some of it we all use sometimes. I wish I had known the systematic way much earlier.

• Text to Text: While reading, start thinking about how this information relates to something else you read or learnt earlier in some other book, manual, white paper, biographies or autobiographies. Making connections this way, helps understand the subject in a better way.
• Text to Self: This type of connection is relating what you are learning, to your prior experiences in life, either in similar subject area or a different one. It might be something you experienced while working on another project or earlier job.
• Text to World: This refers to making connections to something you saw in the news, movies, and YouTube videos. Your mentor may have shared from their life experiences, which connects to or elaborates something you are learning.

3. Reinforce the foundation by sharing with "Three groups"

Have you come across a situation where you struggled to explain what you work on, when asked by someone who is totally unfamiliar with your area of expertise? We are so much used to our business or technical language and acronyms, and don't even notice we are using those assuming others get it. This exact situation in different flavors can be simulated to reinforce the foundation for whatever new skill we are trying to acquire.

• Share the fundamentals, by imagining as if you are explaining it to a third grader. Check it out if you have similar age group kids and how they react. Otherwise, ask someone to role-play the third grader. The kind of questions and the curiosity with which they will ask those will be something you never thought about. Your understanding will become clearer in trying to answer them in very simple terms. Explaining the basics in simplest terms is always the most difficult part.
• Share your newly acquired knowledge to someone 30 years older than you. They may not have the expertise, but will have their own experiences. They might have used different tools and techniques than what are available now. This will make your brain to work harder so as to convey in order for them to understand.
• Ask your friend or spouse's help or form a peer group and share the fundamentals of your learning with them. This group will bring different angles, which you yourself would not have looked at and will help firm up the foundations further.

You will build such a solid foundation by following these principles that you will grow in your career with no bounds.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone –Neale Donald Walsch

Your Turn: I am interested in knowing about which other principles have worked for you to get out of comfort zone? How did you expand your circle of influence?

*If this helped and might help others, please share and comment.*

Links to few of my blog posts which seem to have struck a chord with many:

• The one skill that distinguishes good leaders from mediocre bosses
• Today is the day you were waiting for..
• How to make 10 minutes today more powerful than many years of your life

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