What made people leave Google?
Learning v/s transformative approach
A recently published book by Salim Ismail recent talks about how Google found that deep personal loss contributed to it’s best people.Why are experiential lessons ie life transformations so profound than learning skills?
And why does “deep personal loss” seem to make us better people?
To understand why you have to understand the difference between "Learning vs Transformation."
Anyone can “learn”. Schools and books and podcast all help us learn. But learning is a tiny fraction of what really changes us. That’s so bookish knowledge . Going for Learning programs also is about following their models or their experiences.
Massive change requires Transformation.
Professor Robert Boyd explains it this way:
“Transformation involves experiencing a deep, structural shift in the basic premises of thought, feelings, and actions. It is a shift in consciousness that dramatically and irreversibly alters our way of being in the world.” #empathy
When we do design thinking workshops,while drawing empathy maps,we can see software architects,highly experienced techi-programmers and coders to empathize with their stakeholders or users beyond the workplace.Their faces have raised brows when it comes to asking personal life questions.Its like whats this got to do with our business problems? What are the connections? The ability to draw connections between a personnels behaviour and what lies beneath is the real root cause of errors or conflict at the workplace!
What Boyd is saying, is that when you “Transform” you irreversibly start seeing the world in a fundamentally different way.
An expanded mind, in short, can never contract to its original size.
So transformation requires one of two things:
- A Sudden disorienting dilemma
- Evolving Meaning Schema over time.
But here’s the problem.
Neither is easy.
- The first (disorienting dilemma) is painful. It’s goes back to why Google found that deep personal loss contributed to it’s best people.
- The second (evolving meaning schema over time) is slow. Way to slow.
So we’re in a situation where most human beings transform painfully. And transform s-l-o-w-l-y.
My Point of view : Everything links back to being present fully in the moment, to perform optimally on the issue with present release versions of the software codes, or severity of the problem tickets for internal or external clients or be it listening to the justification of why the employee joined late for a meeting or Virtual conference? Is it habitual or was there a reason behind it? The point that we are trying to make is that if you haven’t been through a personal loss or grief or a profound life changing moment in your life- you would never be able to empathise with that person.
A Phd from Harvard or MBA stamp or degree doesn’t count , it counts on how you are able to relate to this person based on your life experience.Which does mean students and corporate schools do not teach this aspect..its out of scope in their curriculum. Some MBA colleges do teach NLP, Meditation techniques etc for personal effectiveness but this is inter-personal relationships that we are referring to.
And this is why the modern schooling system needs a shift. It emphasises learning. But learning is for less significant on making us better human beings than transformation.
The important thing here is being able to accelerate one’s “Rate of Transformation”. And to do so with minimal discomfort or pain.
So how does one shift from just learning to transforming? How does one teach Empathy when one doesn’t live Empathetically? This calls for paradigm shift from #schools to change the way they teach.
It really is an exciting space for transformative coaches like us to help aid employee transformation- be it their career or lifestyle through holistic practices and proven methods.Do reach out!
#mentorforchange #education #transformativecoaching #Life transformation coach #LifeExperiences count #experiencethatmatters
Source : @Mindvalley daily & @Google