EXPERIENCE Managing O ganizations today are in onstant flux. Industries are consolidating, new business models are emerging, new Yourself technologies are being developed, and consumer behaviors are evolving. For executives, the ever-increasing pace of change can be especially Learning demanding. It forces them to understand and quickly respond to big shills in the way companies operate and how work must get to Learn done. In the words of Arie de Geus, a business theorist, "The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage." Mental tools to help you master new skills by Erika Andersen TAMARA SHOPKIN 98 Harvard Business Review March 1016EXPERIENCE In my work I've found that the Changing Your Inner Narrative about it and follow those questions people who evaluate themselves up with actions. Carol Sansone, a most accurately start the process UNSUPPORTIVE SUPPORTIVE psychology researcher, has found, for inside their own heads: They accept SELF-TALK SELF-TALK example, that people can increase that their perspective is often biased their willingness to tackle necessary or flawed and then strive for greater I don't need to What would my future tasks by thinking about how they objectivity, which leaves them much learn this. look Like if I did? could do the work differently to make more open to hearing and acting on it more interesting. In other words, others' opinions. The trick is to pay I'm already fine at this. Am I really? How do I they change their self-talk from This attention to how you talk to yourself compare with my peers? is boring to I workfer if I could ..? about yourself and then question the You can employ the same strategy validity of that "self-talk." This is boring. I wonder why others in your working life by noticing the Let's say your boss has told find it interesting. language you use in thinking about you that your team isn't strong things that already interest you- enough and that you need to get better at assessing and developing I'm terrible at this. How.? Why..? I wonder..?-and I'm making beginner mistakes but I'll get better. drawing on it when you need to talent. Your initial reaction might be become curious. Then take just one something like What? She's wrong. step to answer a question you've My learn is strong. Most of us respond asked yourself: Read an article, query defensively to that sort of criticism. Learn focused and productive? If an expert, find a teacher, join a But as soon as you recognize what not, is there something I could be group-whatever feels easiest. you're thinking, ask yourself, Is that dairy differently?), he became much I recently worked with a corporate accurate? What facts do I have to more aware of his developmental lawyer whose firm had offered her support il? In the process of reflection needs and open to feedback. He a bigger job that required knowledge you may discover that you're wrong realized that it wasn't enough to of employment law -an area she and your boss is right, or that the have strategic insights; he had to regarded as "the single most boring truth lies somewhere in between- share them with his reports and aspect of the legal profession." Rather you cover for some of your reports invite discussion, and then set clear than trying to persuade her otherwise, by doing things yourself, and one priorities-backed by quarterly team I asked her what she was curious of them is inconsistent in meeting and individual goals, regular progress about and why. "Swing dancing," she deadlines; however, two others are checks, and troubleshooting sessions. said. "I'm fascinated by the history stars. Your inner voice is most useful of it. I wonder how it developed, and when it reports the facts of a situation Curiosity whether it was a response to the in this balanced way. It should serve Kids are relentless in their urge to Depression-it's such a happy art as a "fair witness" so that you're open learn and master. As John Medina form. I watch great dancers and think to seeing the areas in which you could writes in Brain Rules, "This need about why they do certain things" improve and how to do so. for explanation is so powerfully I explained that her "curious One CEO I know was convinced stitched into their experience that language" could be applied to that he was a great manager and some scientists describe it as a employment law. "I wonder how leader. He did have tremendous drive, just as hunger and thirst and anyone could find it interesting?" industry knowledge and great sex are drives." Curiosity is what she said jokingly. I told her that instincts about growing his business, makes us try something until we was actually an OK place to start. and his board acknowledged those can do it, or think about something She began thinking out loud about strengths. But he listened only to until we understand it. Great learners possible answers ("Maybe some people who affirmed his view of retain this childhood drive, or regain lawyers see it as a way to protect himself and dismissed input about it through another application of both their employees and their shortcomings; his team didn't self-talk. Instead of focusing on and companies._') and then proposed a feel engaged or inspired. When he reinforcing initial disinterest in a few other curious questions ( How finally started to question his new subject, they learn to ask might knowing more about this assumptions (is everyone on my themselves "curious questions" make me a better lawyer?"). woo Harvard Business Review March 2016HBR ORG People employed by their families' firms carn 4.5% loss, on average, than employees of nonfamily businesses, but they are 4.I've more satisfied than workers making similar wages. according to a study of companies in 14 countries. JOB SATISFACTION AND WAGES OF FAMILY CHELOVERS." IF AMINH. BLOCK JOSE MARIA WILLAN. CONCEPCION ROMAN. AND HMED DHOW Soon she was intrigued enough other things. Yes, we're now taught to learn to do it over time. In fact, the to connect with a colleague who was embrace experimentation and "fast researchers Robert Wood and Albert experienced in employment law. She failure" at work. But we're also taught Bandura found in the late 1990s asked him what he found interesting to play to our strengths. So the idea that when people are encouraged about it and how he had acquired of being bad at something for weeks to expect mistakes and learn his knowledge, and his answers or months; feeling awkward and from them early in the process of prompted other questions. Over the slow; having to ask "dumb," "I-don't- acquiring new skills, the result following months she learned what know-what-you're-talking-about" is "heightened interest, persistence, she needed to know for that aspect questions, and needing step-by- and better performance." of her new role. step guidance again and again is I know a senior sales manager The next time you're asked to extremely scary. Great learners allow from the United States who was learn something at the office, of sense themselves to be vulnerable enough recently tapped to run the Asia- that you should because colleagues to accept that beginner state. In fact, Pacific region for his company. He are doing so, encourage yourself they become reasonably comfortable was having a hard time acclimating to ask and answer a few curious in it-by managing their self-talk. to living overseas and working questions about it- Why are others Generally, when we're trying with colleagues from other cultures, so excited about this? How might this something new and doing badly at and be responded by leaning on make my job easier ? - and then seek it, we think terrible thoughts: I hole his sales expertise rather than out the answers. You'll need to find this. I'm such an idiot. I'll never get this acknowledging his beginner status just one thing about a "boring" topic right. This is so frustrating! That static in the new environment. I helped that sparks your curiosity. in our brains leaves little bandwidth him recognize his resistance to being for learning. The ideal mindset for a cultural novice, and he was able Vulnerability a beginner is both vulnerable and to shift his self-talk from This is so Once we become good or even balanced: I'm going to be bad at uncomfortable-I'll just focus on excellent at some things, we rarely this to start with, because I've never what I already know to I have a lot want to go back to being not good at done it before. AND I know I can to learn about Asian cultures. I'm a quick study, so I'll be able to pick it up. He told me it was an immediate relief. Simply acknowledging his novice status made him feel less foolish and more relaxed. He started asking the necessary questions, and soon he was seen as open, interested, and beginning to understand his new environment. THE ABILITY to acquire new skills and knowledge quickly and continually is crucial to success in a world of rapid change. If you don't currently have the aspiration, self-awareness, curiosity, and vulnerability to be an effective learner, these simple tools can help you get there. 3 HBR Reprint R1603J Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus International and the author of Growing Great Employees, Being Strategie, Leading So People Will Follow, and the forthcoming ble had First. March 2016 Harvard Business Review 101HBR ORG I'm not talking about relaxed overhauled a reporting system, that getting up to speed on data- armchair or even structured class- replaced a CRM platform, revamped driven marketing could help him room learning. I'm talking about the supply chain. Were you eager personally. He acknowledged that resisting the bias against doing new to go along? I doubt it. Your initial it would be useful to know more things, scanning the horizon for response was probably to justify not about how various segments of his growth opportunities, and pushing learning. (It will take too long. The old customer base were responding to yourself to acquire radically different wary works just fine for me. I bet it's just his team's online advertising and capabilities-while still performing a flash in the par.) When confronted in-store marketing campaigns. your job. That requires a willingness with new learning, this is often our I then invited him to imagine the to experiment and become a novice first roadblock: We focus on the situation he'd be in a year later if he again and again: an extremely negative and unconsciously reinforce was getting that data. He started to discomforting notion for most of us. our lack of aspiration. show some excitement, saying, "We Over decades of coaching and When we do want to learn some- would be testing different approaches consulting to thousands of executives thing, we focus on the positive- simultaneously, both in-store and in a variety of industries, however, what we'll gain from learning it- online, we'd have good, solid my colleagues and I have come and envision a happy future in which information about which ones across people who succeed at this we're reaping those rewards. That were working and for whom; and we kind of learning. We've identified propels us into action. Researchers could save a lot of time and money four attributes they have in spades: have found that shifting your focus by jettisoning the less effective aspiration, self-awareness, curiosity. from challenges to benefits is a good approaches faster." I could almost and vulnerability. They truly want to feel his aspiration rising. Within a few understand and master new skills; months he'd hired a data analytics they see themselves very clearly; Researchers have found expert, made a point of learning from they constantly think of and ask that shifting your focus her on a daily basis, and begun to good questions, and they tolerate rethink key campaigns in light of his their own mistakes as they move from challenges to benefits up the learning curve. is a good way to increase new perspective and skills. Of course, these things come your aspiration to do initially Self-Awareness more naturally to some people than Over the past decade or so, most to others. But, drawing on research unappealing things. leaders have grown familiar with in psychology and management as the concept of self-awareness. They well as our work with clients, we have way to increase your aspiration to understand that they need to solicit identified some fairly simple mental do initially unappealing things. feedback and recognize how others tools anyone can develop to boost all For example, when Nicole Detling, see them. But when it comes to the four attributes-even those that are a psychologist at the University need for learning, our assessments often considered fixed (aspiration, of Utah, encouraged aerialists and of ourselves-what we know and curiosity, and vulnerability). speed skaters to picture themselves don't know, skills we have and benefiting from a particular skill, don't have-can still be woefully Aspiration they were much more motivated inaccurate. In one study conducted It's easy to see aspiration as either to practice it. by David Dunning, a Cornell there or not: You want to learn a A few years ago I coached a CMO University psychologist, 94% of new skill or you don't; you have who was hesitant to learn about college professors reported that they ambition and motivation or you lack big data. Even though most of his were doing "above average work." them. But great learners can raise peers were becoming converts, he'd Clearly, almost half were wrong- their aspiration level-and that's convinced himself that he didn't many extremely so- and their self- key, because everyone is guilty of have the time to get into it and that deception surely diminished sometimes resisting development it wouldn't be that important to any appetite for development. Only that is critical to success. his industry. I finally realized that 6%% of respondents saw themselves as Think about the last time your this was an aspiration problem and having a lot to learn about being company adopted a new approach- encouraged him to think of ways an effective teacher. March 2016 Harvard Business Review 99