Ancora Imparo
by Todd Youngblood
Not one of us knows all we need to know. Not one of us has enough time to absorb all of the information and knowledge we need. Most of us also have the uncomfortable feeling that our competitors are learning faster than we are. What can we do about that?
First off, we need to adopt Michelangelo’s “Ancora Imparo,” or “I am still learning” attitude. And we need to continue (or perhaps re-start) our habit of reading, attending seminars, seeking out the insights of others, etc. to help fill the knowledge gaps.
In addition, we need to focus on an often neglected aspect of executing a continuous learning strategy; the use of technology to accelerate, simplify and extend the learning process. This leads me ask, “Are you addicted to podcasts yet?”
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to fill in wasted, dead time with a constant flood of high-quality ideas, insights and information? How many empty “windshield hours” are in your week? How many empty hours per month do you throw away walking through airports and sitting on airplanes? How many more empty hours standing in line, waiting for appointments, and the like?
You owe it to yourself to invest the $100 or so in an mp3 player or iPod and the time to find, download and subscribe to podcasts. (You can get away with less money by doing a bit of research, or spend a lot more if you happen to be a gadget geek.) As you would expect, there’s a lot of junk cluttering up the podcast world, but you will be amazed – as I am – at the massive volume of really good intellectual content geared at the selling profession that’s out there for free.
Personally, I like the offerings from Business Week, Harvard Business Review and The Advanced Selling Podcast. The Negotiating Tip of the Week is pretty interesting also. Google for “podcast whatever.” Hunt around at www.podcast.net
, www.podcast.com and the business and iTunes U sections of the iTunes Store to locate content of value to you. (Each of those sites points to options for podcast software. Personally, I like iTunes from Apple.)
To help grow my own business, I needed a deeper understanding of economics. In about 15 minutes, I found The Mises Institute, EconTalk and The Center for Economic Policy Research. Now my iPod has many hours worth of graduate & under-grad level economics lectures from libertarian, conservative and liberal perspectives. Pick a topic, any topic and anybody can find a similar amount of good stuff.
My podcast addiction started three months ago. On average, I have replaced about twelve hours of dead time per month with self-education. Subtract the monthly hour spent on search and download and that adds 16 1/2 days of additional education for me in 2007. Good for me! More than two whole weeks next year – from nothing – that will make me more valuable to my clients and a more formidable competitor.
How do you plan to improve your knowledge base next year?
Think about it…
