Knowing but Impatient
Knowing
The number one enemy of learning is knowing, or more precisely, the assumption of knowing. This is the automatic response of, "I already know this," that arises whenever you are exposed to something new. The mind quickly goes to, "This is just like X, and I already know that." This is a great way to close off possibilities, as once you know something you tend to quit paying attention.
Impatience
It's like an addiction to fast food or the magic pill. We want it all, and we want it now. This disorder is especially prevalent in the business world. Developing genuinely new management practices requires months and often years of work. The more senior the executive, the more deeply embedded her style, and the longer it takes to learn and change.
It's foolish to assume that any 2-day corporate retreat can prove sufficient for reshaping practices that have taken decades to establish. Indeed, presuming such instant change to be possible can cause lasting harm to individuals and organizations. Don't be deluded by the zeitgeist of instant gratification and the failure of our society's established learning practices. If you want to really learn, then you need to get past the quest for the magic pill, the latest and the greatest, and work to build new practices.
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Introduction
