Learning To Plan & Planning To Learn

How do we learn in business and in life? What are the ramifications of how we usually learn and how does this affect our success?

Do this short exercise before scrolling down the page. Think of an experience when you learned something. What was the lesson learned? Was the lesson learned as a result of a mistake? If not, congratulations. Most times this exercise is done, the lesson comes from a mistake or error.

For a powerful exercise do this with a group. Ask them to pair up and share a learning experience with the other person. After a few minutes ask individuals to tell the group about the learning experience discussed. You will find the majority of lessons learned will be from mistakes.

What does this tell us? It tells us that failure often precedes success. Many people agree that it is O.K. to fail occasionally. In fact, it is often said that if you never fail you are not exploring possibilities and potential. We must ask ourselves however, “Is there a better way?” Given the results of the above exercise, it is fair to conclude that there is a better way. Wouldn’t it be far better to learn in advance and know how to achieve our goals with ease?

Also ask the group, “Who’s lesson learned was from school?” You will likely find that no one gave an example where they learned something from school. What does this tell us? It tells us that major learning is done after our formal education. Albert Einstein said:

“Education is what remains after you’ve forgotten everything you learned in school”.

It is concerning then, that only 5% of Australians continue their education after completing their original formal education. Everyone has heard it said, “He’s/She’s a goose!” Well, it would seem that might be a compliment considering our common failings as human beings.

Lessons We Can Learn From Geese Fact 1 – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone. Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the strength of one another. Fact 2 – Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese, we will stay in formation with those who are ahead of where we want to go and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others. Fact 3 – When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. Lesson Learned – It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. Fact 4 – The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Lesson Learned – We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not something else. Fact 5 – When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again, or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock. Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese do, we too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

A flock of migrating geese always get to their goal. Even if one or more gets sick or dies along the way, the group is not lost, does not fail because they have a plan and a process. The objective is achieved regardless of the loss of any one or several individuals. People and organisations need goals and a plan to get where they want. The process must be powerful enough to achieve success if someone gets sick, leaves or has a sudden emergency & takes temporary leave – the mission must be accomplished.

When the correct process and skills are in place someone will always step up to fill any void created by circumstance. The goal is not slowed, indeed an emergency can assist in regaining momentum because psychologically without anything said, the team will know they are ‘one down’ and will focus even more strongly. This happens only if the correct process and skills are in place.

Organisations are constantly trying to gain a competitive edge, to learn more about their market, customers, systems or technological advances. While this is essential, it is also just as critical to acknowledge what experts in organisational learning tell us:

“There is no organisational learning without individual learning.”

Do the people in your organisation have powerful goal setting methods in place or do you need to learn some lessons from geese? Well, we don’t have any talking geese but we have the next best thing. How would you rate the usefulness of the majority of seminars or training sessions, you have attended?

We recently conducted a program for a major Australasian organisation after which participants completed a questionnaire. Asked to score the usefulness of the program between one & ten, the twenty-six participants rated the program as follows - one rated it eight, three rated it a nine and twenty-two rated it a ten. Copies of the complete set of questionnaires with participant’s comments are available on request.

“The only competitive advantages for organisations in the future
may be to learn faster than their competitors.”
– Robert Burns 1995.

Greg Phillips is a Director at Extended Group. He is an experienced Corporate Executive having been a Director of private companies and Group Executive member of Australian public companies. Greg has a long list of accreditations in behavioural sciences, human potential, cognitive behaviour and psychometrics and is one of Australia's foremost authorities on the most advanced and fastest growing psychometric profile system available, Extended DISC®. He works as an Executive Coach and Facilitator of Psychometric Instruments for personnel development and recruitment. Contact Greg on Phone: 1300 00 DISC, 1300 00 3472, (03) 9887 5300; Email: Greg.Phillips@DiscProfile.com.au or Web site: www.discprofile.com.au
First published: 3 November 2004.
Last updated: 17 October 2005.