Learning never stops
What I wished I’d known when I started my career – #10
As I gathered a list for this series, I kept thinking of new things I wish I'd known. Here’s my on-going list of ideas that I haven’t written about yet:
- Be brave. Become an emotional athlete
- Everyone is scared
- Don’t be proud of how hard you work
- Don’t compare
- Your sponsors will leave
- Be there for people. It’s all about people
- Listen more
- Don’t wait for people to notice you
- Beware the story we tell ourselves
- You’re going to fail and it’s okay
- Look around, not back
- I’m not going to dim my star for anyone
I’m supposed to be down to my FINAL tip, my top ‘thing I wish I knew”, the big number 10. And it turns out I’m only getting started!
At my kids’ elementary school, they now teach children (and parents) about growth mindset. Thanks to Carol Dweck’s research, we understand that intelligence is not fixed. Our brain grows through persisting through challenges and making new connections. A fixed mindset finds fault with being wrong or making mistakes which limits us versus accepting and understanding that failure is normal, that trying is more important than being perfect. You may remember how devastating it felt to be wrong as a child. It may feel that way now too! A growth mindset helps us accept that learning will be a constant process.
I don’t know everything. I won’t ever know everything. There is more I don’t know than I do know. And yet, the joy of learning has been the one constant in my career. As much experience as I attain, it’s never enough to satisfy me. I will always be looking for that next lesson. No matter how far I travel, the mountain is always further away.
Maybe that is the best thing anyone could have told me at the start of my career. Honestly it feels like maybe someone did, and I'm only appreciating the full meaning today. Let's pretend they said it like this:
Knowledge isn’t a destination; it’s a journey -- and I better get used to traveling.
P.S. It’s that time of year again, and I must disappear a bit to focus on performance review season for my team (while also writing a book!). I’ll try to post shorter tidbits on LinkedIn. Requests welcome!