The Three Teachers

Words of wisdom today. I was talking with a friend who learned to speak English several years ago. I asked her, "When did it all start to gel in your learning process? Like a bowl of gelatin in the refrigerator, when did you start to feel like it was all congealing together for you?" She laughed and said, "Never." "Come on! You are fluent now. It gelled at some point." "But you never feel like it is completely gelling. You will continue to get better as you learn and practice but you won't ever feel like you have 'arrived.' You have to be OK with not knowing everything. No person knows everything all the time."

No person knows everything all the time.

I reached the one-month mark of my Fluent in Three Months journey on Wednesday. One third of the way through seemed like a good time to evaluate progress and determine what was working and what wasn’t. Something struck me as I thought about the tutoring experiences I’ve had. You can find many LI articles about selecting a business mentor and why it’s so important for your career growth. In my opinion and, based on my experiences, it’s a bit foolish to expect one person to be the only resource you need. Having more than one person to rely on for sound advice is a wise move. As the cliché says, “If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.” I don’t ask my attorney for advice on creating a better hay meadow. I don’t ask my mechanic for the best system of learning the six cases in Russian. (Although if he spoke Russian, I probably would . . .)

I noticed a pattern emerging with my studies that has become tremendously helpful. I have managed (sometimes in laughter, sometimes in utter frustration) to reach my goal of pushing past A1 into A2 proficiency in this first month. Whether your goal is learning a new language or developing some other helpful business skill, consider these people for your arsenal:

The Perfectionist / Stickler

He’s tough. If your skin wasn’t thick when you started working with him, it will be in short order. The close enough bat doesn’t cut it for him.

He expects you to be as precise and accurate as possible. It’s maddening. You may expect him to slap you across the knuckles one day with a ruler. Just when you are ready to walk away because your ego is bruised and you think there is no way of pleasing this teacher, you realize why you chose him in the first place: you will learn and you will get better. If your objective is making yourself feel better with saccharine sweet words, go somewhere else. If your goal is to improve, the perfectionist will help you get there.

The Coach / Cheerleader

This person is in your corner rooting for your success. He is encouraging and positive. You never feel like you are traveling the path alone. You have someone who supports you and wants to see you grow as a person. This person is an excellent resource on the days when you are discouraged. If you are worried that your progress isn’t enough or that you will never learn some daunting concept, call the coach. He will point out how far you’ve come. Sometimes we are so close to a situation that we see the minutia and only focus on mistakes. Often, another person can help us zoom our lens out to see the bigger picture and understand that we aren’t standing at the starting line anymore.

The Grout

No, not a grouch. Grout.

“Grouting is when everything starts to come together and your project stops looking like a collection of individual tiles and starts looking like a finished floor.” -Bob Vila.

We need people who can fill in the gaps for us. These people may have a specific area of expertise or a particular profession that is relevant to you. If I have a question about how a particular CAD software works, I ask my friend, Frank. If I have a question about companion planting or mulching, I ask a friend who’s a horticulturist. As with my conversation today, my friend has a deli, so I asked her about how to say different types of meats, cheeses, breads, condiments, etc., in Russian and how to say the sandwich we made tasted good. (Вкусно бутерброд.)

We will all have days when we think about giving up. Or times when our businesses struggle or our careers feel stagnant. A good network of people who can help you achieve your goals or offer advice from their own battles is utterly priceless! Don't worry about trying to find one mentor to serve as all things to all people. That person does not exist. Build up a team of individuals you can count on and go for your goals.