MISTAKE #33: Learning the right technique helps, but isn’t always enough
If you’re a reader of my articles, odds are good that you’ve got a lot of confidence coupled with a healthy appreciation for learning from others. You’ve probably learned that you can do a little (or a lot of) online searching to find how other people have solved the same problem you’re facing now. And you can constantly learn new skills.
It is always fascinating to listen to an expert on a topic provide a completely new perspective. The Egg of Columbus is a classic example of this experience.
So are TED Talks.
The video below is one of the many ways the internet can provide unexpected education. While I can’t claim to watch the 5-minute video that will solve any of your problems, it will give you a new skill that you might be able to apply sooner than you expect.
While learning to do some rudimentary beat boxing probably was not on your to-do list today, the lesson was pretty interesting, wasn’t it? How long did it take for you to try it out yourself to see if the principles work?
THE DANGER OF THE INTERNET EDUCATION
While “boots and pants” or “boots and cats” might be a good material to bring up in a casual conversation, I doubt many people would be very quick to take their new act onstage.
Few people learn to beatbox one day and are ready to the mic at a wedding the next day to lay down a sick beat.
However, this same sense of on-demand education and false perceptions of instant expertise is playing out in a professional setting more and more with similarly memorable performances.
By no means do I want to ever discourage anyone from seeking out opportunities to learn new professional skills and expand their perspective. That is the only way to progress from being a summer intern to retiring as a recognized expert.
But I do want more people to recognize the huge distance between understanding basic techniques and being a master at applying them.
Getting the right help to compliment your real skill set can make your product look less like a do-it-yourself project.
DON’T CONFUSE THE SAWDUST WITH THE PROJECT
It has been a huge surprise to my wife that I find peace and escape from my day job spending time in my workshop. She still finds it novel that I like to play with power tools and I attempt to create physical things with my hands. Because I enjoy it so much, she tolerates it, but she is also aware of the risks that come with my hobby.
I’ve taken a chunk out of my leg off with a chainsaw, filled my hand full of wood shrapnel after a table saw the accident, hung onto a second-story gutter Clark Griswald-style after falling off an extension ladder, and I've put a nail through my foot.
Unlike my day job, this is a hobby that quickly tells you when you’ve made a mistake. And it can be painful in a very literal sense.
I’m an amateur handyman at best, but the internet has empowered me to do things I would never have attempted before. I’ve disassembled microwaves, air conditioners, engines, and iPhones thanks to the information I found online that convinced me I could troubleshoot the problem and repair it on my own.
And I’ve collected a lot of tools in the process of the projects I’ve attempted. And my wife has a lot of stories to tell about the time she has lived without a working microwave or the one August she had no air conditioner or when we temporarily downsized to a one-car family for a few weeks or how she got an early upgrade because her old phone would no longer charge after I was done ‘fixing’ it.
The internet has been a mixed blessing in the different ways it has expanded my knowledge and experience.
DIY JOB TITLES
An example I’ve seen back in the business world has been the explosion in the number of business titles that revolve around a customer insights manager description. I regularly meet with people holding these titles and consistently find someone that was in marketing or sales or was a junior analyst that evolved into an insights role. While horizontal moves can be great for someone’s career, breadth of knowledge needs to be balanced with a depth of knowledge.
This happens to be one situation I’m familiar with, but similar issues can exist when salespeople move into marketing roles or marketers move into strategy roles.
Hopefully, you’ve got the point of this article by now.
It is a great privilege to have access to so much education when you’re facing a new problem. Study examples and techniques. Try new things.
But as you start to apply what you learn, consider bringing in experts that don’t just understand the theory of how to find a solution, but have actually done it, and done it many times.
Know the difference between the things you can have fun with and the mission-critical components that need to be done right the first time, on time.
Focus your time where you have unique expertise. Bring in help to add experience and capacity where needed.