Ability To Communicate And Keep Learning…..

I still remembered the first word I learned: “vitiate” which means to make imperfect, faulty, or impure: to spoil or corrupt. Although it has been more than 30 years, I still remember the first sentence in which I used the word.

“I am going to vitiate that smile on your face if you don’t get off my back,” I said to my co-worker who was making fun of me.

“Whatever,” my co-worker replied: obviously having no clue what I was talking about and too embarrassed to ask.

This exchange taught me a valuable lesson about the difference between education and learning. Although I knew the meaning of the word “vitiate,” my co-worker didn’t, and it was obvious that no communication occurred. Sure, I may have momentarily impressed my co-worker with my vocabulary, but I later realized that my co-worker perceived it as a self-serving insult and a put-down, even though we have been working together for almost a year.

This exchange became a defining moment in my career development. It also helps me understand why I cannot progress at my Junior Executive level. The lesson is so simple that I completely overlook it: The burden of communication is on the person doing the talking. However, the communicator often blames the listener for not understanding. It makes no difference how well educated you are, how great your vocabulary is, or how well you can perform a task yourself, if you can’t communicate with others in a way they can understand, you are handicapped. From that day forward, I vowed to practice speaking at a level equal to or just below that of the person with whom I was talking.

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Another observation that left a lasting impression on me was the way problems were solved. Since my job was, as a Junior Executive in manufacturing, part of the program was a constant search for new processes and for improvements to old ones. What impressed me was how experiment after experiment would fail before finally arriving at the right processes. I was also amazed at my manager’s patience. When my team was working on a new project, if an experiment failed, he would merely sit down at his desk and document everything about the experiment, and then gave me another assignment to try. As I observed this calculated approach to developing new processes, it subconsciously worked its way into my mind and began to direct me for the rest of my life. I found myself applying this approach to life in general and rather than feeling dejected and disappointed about failures, I started looking at them as simply obstacles I had to get past by going over, or around them. What I have learned from all these experiments was not the old “if at first, you don’t succeed; try and try again,” but rather, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try it another way.”

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Although I did not have much work experience at that time, the longer I worked with my manager, the more I learned from him and the more curious I became. Unlike most of my co-workers who came to work, did their jobs, and went home, I was constantly asking my manager for information about each experiment I performed as I wanted to know what caused the failure and how to prevent it.

Eventually, my enthusiasm caught the attention of my manager and I was called in for a meeting with him. He began praising my work and my interest in learning. He complimented me on my achievement thus far and the confidence he had in my ability to carry out tasks correctly. Then he got to the real point of the meeting. He pointed out that each time he had to stop and explain something, it pulled him away from his work and lessened his performance. He explained that it has taken him many years of undergraduate and postgraduate studies to get to where he is now and that no matter how long we had worked together, I would never understand all of the methods without going back to school and continuing my studies.

My manager might have seen the disappointment on my face because he quickly shifted gears and assured me that I didn’t have to learn all now, he has to know all because it’s part of his job. He assured me that I was performing well and would be willing to help me as much as his time would permit. I was young and enthusiastic and I have great respect for my manager. As a result, I left the meeting with a commitment that I would further my study, at least to get a degree.

Although it was difficult juggling between working and studying, I finally settled into a routine of reading and studying about an hour before going to bed each night and about an hour after I woke up each morning, a routine that I maintained until I graduate and got my degree.

With the knowledge gained, I become more resourceful and finally gained my manager’s confidence that I could accomplish virtually any task I was given. Whether solving a production problem, conducting specialized tests or locating resources within other sections of the plant, I was able to accomplish them. It was during this phase of development that I learned another valuable lesson: Opportunity knocks and they come to those who are prepared.

Allowing me to study while still on the job was an opportunity that knocked and I took advantage of it. Not only did I get my degree but it gave me an opportunity to show how far I could push myself. When I undertook the decision to further my studies while working, I had no idea that it would ultimately lead me down a life-changing path.

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Of course, my manager was impressed with my progress and he brought up my name in a few meetings with the directors of the company. I was soon promoted to Senior Executive and later to a managerial position.

To sum it all up, increasing my ability to communicate by learning to use words and phrases that my coworkers understand helps a great deal in my career progression.

Also, opportunities don’t always jump out at you, the best ones are often hidden in what appear to be problems and we must equip ourselves to seize them when they appear.

That’s all for now, my friends. See you all in my next article.