#5. Dare to: Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn
Technology is now obsoleting job-skills faster than most folks can re-skill. If kids entering the workforce want to be gainfully employed for a lifetime, they will need to learn how to – learn, unlearn, and relearn. The other side of the problem is that many companies have new skill-needs that don’t exist on the open job market. But, to re-skill existing employees meets resistance. Are new types of employee-mindsets and coaches required?
Mastering the Process of (Re) Mastery
Schools K-12 do not unfortunately teach kids how to learn on their own effectively for life. But, every sport – at the highest level – has deep knowledge for how to develop raw-talent into to world-class performers, but only IF:
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The athlete understands the need to make new neural-pathways for improved, habitual skills.
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The athlete embraces and loves the grind of the process.
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And, coaches support the athlete in deliberately, practicing perfectly.
Sports Case Examples
After Tiger Woods won his first Masters tournament, he proceeded to change his stroke to get even better. (And, two more subsequent changes!) Most pro golfers can compare their videotaped swings to Tiger’s improved ones for change insights. But, most don’t want to get bad before they might get a level better. Don’t mess with mediocre tour success!
In Major League Baseball (MLB), high-speed video technology made it possible for pitchers to retool their mechanics in the off-season. But, few braved to do so.
Then, the Houston Astro’s were the first team to invest big in both video and new coaches[1]. (Veteran coaches parroting received wisdom were retired.) And thereafter, the Astros wouldn’t sign new prospects without an upfront agreement for how the prospects would change their mechanics for the better.
What qualities did the new pitching coaches have?
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Big-league playing credibility
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Next-level, mechanical-motion analysis
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Psychological motivators for re-mastery
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Belief in the upside growth of targeted players
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Tech-learning savvy. The camera technology included middleware to convert raw video data into digestible information relayed to their smartphone. Coaches could then stand next to a player and provide immediate feedback after each pitch (or hit for batters).
Learn and Apply the Mastery Process to Hard, then Soft Skills
George Leonard wrote about the process (and graphs) of mastering a “hard” skill (like an instrument, chess or a sport) to Black-Belt+ status in Mastery (1992). He then recommended applying mastery-process concepts to soft skills. Be a black-belt+: parent, spouse, boss, empathetic listener, and/or sage.
We improve our spontaneous skills/habits by making new or improved neural pathways through deliberate practice. Our habits then make us. Excellence is a habit. Dare to learn, unlearn, and relearn for life.
[1] All in the book The MVP Machine (2020)