An open mind to Learning

Analysis of Business problems shakes the foundation of your prior knowledge on how you think about things and gives you the opportunity to question existing structure, seek alternative approaches and decide on the best applicable solutions. It is a systematic approach where at a certain point, you start to regroup again and identify what is known and what is unknown, and based on that, you can decide and progress.

There are also those people that start with resistance when it comes to learning and it has never ended well. This is because when you think you are still struggling with resistance, you cannot pay attention. You will not be flowing with the class. You are simply questioning everything. Questioning is useful and good when it is a question based on critical thinking. However, where the questioning is construed as a competitive tool, then it distorts understanding and does not help growth. You start disagreements right before you even see or understand what is been discussed.

Usually, we have our personal biases that drive the way we make our decisions. Unfortunately, sometimes these decisions are not taken objectively, causing us not to achieve the desired outcomes. It is usually important to look beyond just our own perspective and to recognize the fact that people always come to the table with various or different perspectives. It is therefore imperative to allow and listen to all contributions.

In the process of learning, we make important decisions that are also applicable in the day-to-day decision-making of our various businesses. Below are some considerations for decision-making:

• We need to be more critical about how we process information for decision-making
• We need to embrace a diversity of thought (and disciplinary perspective)
• We need to adopt an experimental mindset (What if)
• The lead time between today and tomorrow is much shorter now (or maybe less assured)

How we process the much information thrown at us every day is very critical. It is not just the person that knows or has acquired knowledge but the one who can review and think through the available information and use them to make reasonable judgments. As mentioned previously, it is important to embrace the diversity of thoughts such that it is not seen as one man’s/woman’s way but rather the cumulative thoughts of all involved. Incorporating all contributions from different perspectives will really help in arriving at better and more effective decisions. Adopting an experimental mindset is also an important aspect. There is no way to say what will work and what will not work. Every experiment will teach something new and gives a better chance of preparing for the next challenge. The fact that things are changing rapidly in today’s world suggests that we cannot depend on our previous knowledge or information. The decisions taken in the past with the available information at a time might not apply now. As information is the fundamental raw material for decision-making, it is important to be up to date as information changes rapidly. This is the reason why it is important to have an open mind to learning and always entertain all constructive suggestions and contributions.

#MMBA3