Don’t Wait Until You Know Everything To Start…
Don’t Wait Until You Know Everything To Start…
Too often we let uncertainties about whether we have what it takes to successfully run our lives. As a result, we tend to avoid new challenges or decline to pursue exciting opportunities that could take us to new levels of personal or professional success and happiness. All because we don’t trust our own ability to rise to the challenges that are involved. Remember: effort leads to mastery!
You have definitely been smart enough to accomplish something that was initially scary to you — whether that was starting a new job, writing a business plan, taking a risk by asking for a raise, learning a new skill, or doing anything you have not done before. Don’t think for a second that you’re not smart enough to make a needed change again. Figure out what it is you need to know to move forward and then find a way to acquire the knowledge and do it.
Don’t underestimate your abilities and buy into self-doubt. When you see a gap in your understanding, it’s an opportunity to grow and expand. Not doing so is really about fear — the fear of looking like a jerk, the fear of screwing up, the fear of being ashamed and embarrassed. None of this is true. One way of figuring out where you have knowledge gaps is through active self-teaching.
I remembered when I was asked to take over the role of Quality Controller in an electric kettle factory years ago, I didn’t know exactly my role and responsibilities at that time. There was no internet, no Google to look for information. I had to go to the local library to look for books on the subject and acquire knowledge from some of the practitioners in the industry. But it was clear to me what I need to know to perform my job efficiently. I knew I could learn on the job and with the knowledge acquired, I was able to adapt to what was happening at any given moment. Agility is crucial when you learn while doing. I took risks and made it my personal responsibility to figure out how to deliver on my promise to ensure that products are meeting the set quality standards. I listened, I didn’t show weaknesses and I didn’t talk about things I didn’t know about. Because of all this, the department heads respected me, supported me, and helped me learn what I didn’t know.
When I was factory manager, I met a woman, named Susan, who was a managing partner at one of the consulting firms my company engaged in. Susan told me she had declined offers to take on a senior leadership role in her firm for years. She told herself that she did not have the capacity, skills, or knowledge to succeed and that if she took the new role, she would embarrass herself and become a disappointment to her partners and colleagues. Fortunately, her partners know she has the ability to do the job and so they offered her the job over and over until she finally and hesitantly accepted.
After she accepted the job, Susan sat down and analyzed the requirements of the role. She then made two lists: one of the things she already knew how to do and the other of the things she would have to learn. The partners at her company, who believed in her potential, set her up to attend training programs. She was mentored for the first few months on the job. Susan also did job-related reading and research at night and sought the advice of people who were already doing the jobs. She also took a couple of courses which the company is happy to pay for.
Susan realized she had believed in her own lies about her abilities but was able to overcome them when she stopped making excuses about her ability and take necessary actions to add to her knowledge base.
if you truly think you are not “good enough” to do something that seems more difficult than what you are comfortably doing now, ask yourself what it is you think you don’t know. We all have the capacity to learn new things and master new skills. If you really don’t know something, figure out who or what can teach you what you need to know.
That’s all for now, my friends. See you all in my next articles.
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