So you think you know it all do you?

I have to confess, I used to think a bit like that in my younger days. I think we all do a bit, don’t we?

I had a fairly meteoric rise in my career, with rapid promotion. You too maybe?

I got frustrated and changed jobs and industries, to get ahead quicker. Have you done that?

But you know a funny thing happens as you get older. Or maybe I was just a very late developer! I started to get hungry for more knowledge. I became acutely aware, that I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew. About lots of topics….. I’ll explain why in a moment…

I’d moved to a state of Conscious Incompetence! In other words, I became aware that there was a lot I didn’t know. And wanted to learn!

How does that saying go? Actually it’s more a statement of levels of competence. (Here it is thanks to Wikipedia)

• • Unconscious incompetence. The individual is often unaware he/she does not understand or know how to do something.
  • Conscious incompetence. The individual becomes aware he/she does not understand or know how to do something.
  • Conscious competence. The individual understands or knows how to do something.
  • Unconscious competence. The individual has had so much refining practice with a skill that he or she does not really need to think about what to do.

Ok, so what am I driving at here? My point is this. I see so many people in my consulting and education work, that could do so much better. In their careers, in their personal performance, and in their business success. And you know what? These people are smart, ambitious, and doing quite well. But they are getting ‘stuck’. And many of them sense they are getting stuck and they’re not sure how to get ‘un stuck’.

It was like that for me too. I think the ‘big change’ for me was about 3 years ago. Yes, like I said, I was a very late starter … at age 52!

I’m not sure why, but an advert attracted my attention. It was a free business seminar. I read abut it on a plane between Melbourne and Sydney. And as soon as we landed in Sydney, I dived into the Qantas Club to call and book a seat.

Why? The advert just struck a chord with me. It made me realise, I knew very little about the subject of the seminar, and I was eager to find out more.

Well, that seminar turned me into a bit of a learning ‘junkie’. I am now firmly addicted to improving my education and understanding of a wide range of topics.

It became quite a joke around the office! I even went on a residential week long singing and song writing course. Yes I love music, but a friend convinced me it was a great way to learn how to better communicate with an audience at conferences. And if you are wondering…I’m a terrible singer. But not a bad song writer. I even managed to make my Book Publisher cry with one song…and not because my voice was so bad!

Sorry I digress. I think I was running at about 60 days of training a year at one point, my hunger for knowledge was so great. I was lucky, I had the time and resources to do that. I’ve now ‘eased back’ to about 20-25 days a year. But I will never, ever again, stop wanting to learn. At one stage I was spending about $150,000 a year on my education. Now I manage it down to about $25,000.

And the knowledge that I gain, I use not only for my own benefit, but for those around me and my businesses. I also encourage others in my businesses to do the same and often drag them along to education programs with me. And we’re doing some amazing things together, that I could not even have dreamed of 3 years ago!

So, are you aware of important things you don’t yet know? Or maybe you are Unconsciously Incompetent? Perhaps you are blissfully unaware of the things you could be learning to improve your business and career.

I suppose I’ve become rather a ‘Born again Christian’ in terms of education. And that’s why I enjoy sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years, with others who can benefit from that knowledge.

So I now do that in a number of ways. Through our Supply Chain School that launched in March 2013. We have a sensational group of members there who I really love spending time with and sharing knowledge and tips. Then I have my online training programs for those who can’t get to the School. And also, I really enjoy…

Our Free Seminar series that runs in Australia and SE Asia. The next event is coming up really soon in Melbourne and Sydney in Feb 2013. In fact in just over 2 weeks!

There are a few seats left, and you can grab one here. All the details of the topic are on the link: Supply Chain Strategy Made Simple

You might just learn something…that you didn’t even realise was important!

Get my point?

Or if you’re reading this a bit too late for those events, and you want invitations to our next events, you can make sure you are on our invitation list on this link: Supply Chain and Logistics Seminars

Don’t skimp on your education, ever!

What will you be learning next? Maybe share in the comments below?

 

P.S. This is not meant to just be a plug for our Free Seminars and Education Programs. We probably don’t have any seats left by the time you read this anyway!

No. I want to encourage you to get out there and learn something new! Anything that will enrich your life and career. It really is liberating if you have been ‘stuck in a rut’, just like I was.

Maybe you are learning something new already? Why not share it below? The wackier the better! I’d love to learn to fly a Wing Suit……..But my wife Pat won’t let me ………. says I’m too old! (I think she might be right. She normally is)

But Pat has ‘agreed’ to doing something really awesome with me next year. You can read about it over here: We need to be fit as well as our Supply Chains.