Learn to unlearn
The last few years have taught us a lesson. It is an opportunity. It's time to learn to unlearn.
Why do we need to unlearn? And what do we need to unlearn?
We are living in a volatile, uncertain and complex age, a business age of unparalleled knowledge and ignorance at the same time. It is a world where leaders and experts have gathered so much information, measuring how they are impacting business, people, and the planet, yet, at the same time, they feel powerless to have a positive impact to change anything.
Collaboration has never been so critical. Technology and interdependences have made us more connected than ever. And yet we are using that very same technology, these very same interdependences, to make us feel more disconnected and apart than ever. Collaboration has never been so difficult.
We feel these issues affecting our daily lives. It affects our efficiency and our engagement at work. Yet we feel so distant from the world that is creating these problems. So, as a consulting boutique that’s purpose is to deliver your future culture, our solution is to help our partners learn to unlearn.
The last two years have been a radical opportunity to realize how much the barriers to change are also the things we have learnt, which have shaped our beliefs, certainties, norms and behaviors, as a leader, a manager, a salesman and an expert.
It has taught us a lesson: what we learnt in the past may be the biggest obstacle to address the challenges that we face today, related to distance, home working, control, sense of belonging, interdependencies, complexity, uncertainty, diversity,
authority, expertise, purpose, sustainability, to name a few.
We now have the opportunity to teach ourselves to unlearn it.
Nine principles
Unlearn.
The barriers to change and development are the things we have learnt.
Learning and development can't be a do-or-die activity, or another KPI. It is not about adding, like adding up skills, but reconnecting which starts with unlearning. It is sustainable development with purpose.
Unuse.
We have learnt that everything should be accessible and even disposable.
We created a world of wants. Like all resources, learning and development is not disposable. We should rethink our learning and development approach and methodology with sustainability, accountability and co-creation at the core of it.
Unplug.
We have learnt that distance is the problem; yet we complain about poor communication in open spaces.
It starts with disconnection, to reassess the quality of our network and how we connect to it, the quality of our relationships. Redesigning our virtual communication plan should aim at finding opportunities to build trust and recreate hallway talks with our remote partners.
Uncontrol.
The need for control got most of leaders where they are. And now?
Now that people are distant and events uncertain, how does control work? Reassessing how much we need to control, how ready we are to trust, and what does it mean to others, is a good starting point to unlearn.
Unseek.
Stop seeking approval. Reassess your perception of what power is about.
The current age shakes up the vertical concept of organizations and traditional attributes of power. We need to rethink who we want to seek recognition from, and why.
Unplan.
We have learnt that failing to plan is planning to fail.
In an increasingly volatile and uncertain world, we should question how we plan. Strengthening our vision, rather than our planning, should become the priority. Also, in a world of complex interdependencies, inclusive planning should become the norm.
Unfollow.
We need to question where the culture of following is leading us, who we are following and why.
Despite hundreds of management books published every year, millions of inspirational speakers' videos posted on YouTube about thinking out-of-the-box or leading with empathy, most leaders still embrace new ideas or empower people reluctantly, and only if there is an abundance of proof, or pressure. Don't follow blindly. It's time to be at your best, not at others' best.
Unsee.
The world has taught us to look at people and issues in a certain way.
What we have learnt have shaped our judgments and assumptions. In a diverse, ambiguous and complex age, where nothing is clear, we need to unlearn, starting by questioning what we see, exploring perspectives and clarifying together.
Unhear.
We learnt that it's a man's world. We learnt that introverts can't lead. We learnt that vulnerability is weakness. We learnt that one person can't make a difference.
It became voices in our head. It's time to question what we have learnt.
Do a quick poll and tell us what you would like to unlearn - click here
To continue the conversation or to know more about our portfolio of solutions,
please contact us at:
+33 (0)6 61 77 55 85