Knowing vs. Doing

Copyright © 2004 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com www.LeadWell.com

It is not as fashionable as it once was to talk about the "learning organization." The challenge to keeping the appealing idea alive and propagating was simply this: No one really could define a learning organization, much less tell you how to successfully create and sustain one.

Still, the capacity to learn remains an essential characteristic of every organization—and every individual—striving for success.

There is a progression to effective learning. It is a definable process.

Here is a lean description of the sequence behind effective learning.

1. Becoming Aware (Knowing about)
2. Understanding (Intellectually grasping the Concept)
3. Wanting to Apply the Learning (Desire / Motivation)
4. Applying (Trying)
5. Refining (Adjusting performance based on insights from consequences and feedback)
6. Producing Desired Results (Getting what's expected from applying the learning)
7. Mastering (Developing proficiency in method; obtaining high quality output)

If you find that you—or the individuals with whom you work—are blocked in learning effectively, assess the processes behind the attempt to learn. Review the steps outlined above and honestly answer this question: How well are we (am I) executing this part of the process?

Big hint: Much corporate learning and personal learning aimed at self-improvement gets no further, in my experience, than Step #2.

That gulf between understanding and successfully applying is one of the largest in the universe.

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Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

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