Saturday June 9, 2018
By ASEEM PURI editor@leaderonomics.com
Did I spend time on developing a new skill or gaining some new knowledge?
If you are like most smart, successful people, the answer is likely going to be “not sure”, “not much”, “don’t know”, or “maybe”.
Most people do not consciously spend time on skills development and learning because they are lost in emails, meetings and updates.
It’s hard to take out time for courses. Once the course is finished, you go back to your routine, losing most of the key learnings and insights you have gained.
Yet, no one can deny this – if you don’t learn the new skills in your industry, you are going to be irrelevant.
The hottest new jobs in most industries did not even exist a few years ago.
What’s the solution?
I got this idea from the legendary management guru Peter Drucker who would pick a new subject to learn every two years.
He did so all his life from the founder of Singapore himself, the late Lee Kuan Yew, who was learning Mandarin every week!
I suggest you try a version of it too.
At the start of the month, lasting for 30 days, I will aim to learn one new thing every day.
For me, it’s going to be focused on digital marketing.
Every day I will spend between 20–60 minutes, depending on the schedule, to learn a new topic in digital marketing.
Just do it!
Here’s how we can do massive amounts of skills development without disrupting our busy schedules.
This can be digital marketing, a new technology in your industry, the basics of a language, dance moves or anything else that will massively benefit you.
Go online, browse a little and start making a list of the sub-topics you want to learn about.
For me, the list consists of topics such as search engine marketing (SEM), paid social media, Facebook advertising, creating YouTube videos, etc.
You can refer to course outlines on university websites or the content page of a book on the subject – or the list of topics – on a top blog.
When will you learn best – in the morning when you wake up? When you are commuting? Or, during your lunch break?
Block off this time every day in your calendar for the next 30 days. Don’t worry if you miss a few slots – keep at it.
Pick up the book or the blog on the first sub-topic you want to learn about and start studying it.
Write the top summary learnings in bullet points in a diary or a note online.
Do the same every day and keep writing and recording. Check if there is some kind of a test or a certification that you can do which will assess your skills level in the area that you are studying.
When you finish a week, start dazzling your friends with your new-found skills. Share and practise as much as possible.
In conclusion
Learning is going to be a lifelong journey. The time to get started is today.
- Aseem is a digital coach and a faculty trainer with Leaderonomics. He has many years of experience creating disruptive online and offline campaigns around the world. To engage him for digital transformation of your organisation, email us at info@leaderonomics.com.
Everyone is in a crazy busy mode almost all the time but how does one go through the day with a sense of “anchoring” and not be “all-over-the-place”? Life has got to be more than just getting things done, right? Essentially, being busy is not a sign of productivity. Listen to this podcast here on Leaderonomics.com: bit.ly/productiveleadership
To learn more about Lee Kuan Yew’s leadership, check out this exclusive Leadership Nuggets video on Leaderonomics Media YouTube channel: bit.ly/LNKuanYew
This article is available at www.leaderonomics.com, where you can download the PDF version.
