Free learning

Are you making the most of free learning?

I ran into a dear friend today at the market. She had, somewhat reluctantly, taken a new job a few weeks back. Her first stories about it were a bit worrying. It sounded ghastly.

But not today. Today she was full of the stories of a wonderful and skilled colleague she had met and is now working closely with. Her eyes were sparkling with life and she could hardly stop singing his praises.

“I’m learning such a lot.” She said.

I was put in mind of an old colleague of mine. I was so impressed with her communication skills that I got onto a project with her, just so I could observe what she was doing and find out how it worked.

That was the start of a long road that I am still travelling. My question to you is: are you making the most of the free opportunities for learning that surround you?

So many people waste these free opportunities, but they are everywhere, if you know what to look for.

Lessons to look for

Focus on spotting people who do something well. They don’t have to do everything well, just one thing. Then try copying what they do and see if it works for you. I guarantee, the more you look, the more you will find.

The other side of the learning coin

And remember that there are also things you don’t want to copy. That’s useful to learn too. It’s a bit like the old saying I once saw on a doormat:

All our visitors make us happy; some when they arrive, others when they leave.

Go here for more about how to keep yourself learning – and how to look after your brain.
Go here to check out the questions you could be using to help yourself.