3 Things to Unlearn from School for Success in Business
We found a great article in Entrepreneur that talks about the things you need to unlearn in school, because they could hurt you in business. We’ll share those with you plus get some insights.
Click the player to listen to this episode of The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Below is a summary of our discussion.
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Our discussion today is inspired by an article written by Samuel Leeds in Entrepreneur. He says there are lies they tell you in school that won’t serve you in business, and they are: Don’t copy, learn everything before implementing, and don’t make mistakes.
We’re going to look at each one and share Leeds insights, as well as perspective from The Professor.
1. Unlearn: Don’t Copy
Leeds makes it clear that “this doesn’t mean taking other people’s copyright-protected work.” He’s essentially saying, why wouldn’t you copy the formula of someone who has achieved great success?
I think he’s on to something here, but I would like to make a friendly amendment. In our fast changing world, copying someone’s success formula may fall short. You have to find some way to stand out and be different or you likely won’t succeed. So it’s not a clone.
2. Unlearn: Learn everything before implementing
Leeds says “In school you’re expected to learn everything about a subject before you go out into the real world and start making money doing it. In business, the opposite is true.”
Agreed. Successful strategists know that learning doesn’t end with starting, it continues. There’s a military concept we’ve talked about before called OODA Loops. It’s an acronym for: Observe, orient, decide, act. Because when you act, you start learning things that you can’t learn from a book. The “loops” in OODA loops is there because, at any point in time, you may move back to observe, or you may reorient yourself based on new information.
3. Unlearn: Don’t make mistakes
Leeds says “In school, you’re penalized for making mistakes. In business, you sometimes learn more from your mistakes than your successes.”
Entrepreneurs know the value of mistakes. It reminds me of the interview we had with Jonathan Fields.
He was a lawyer making good money until he had a health issue which made him walk away to follow his passion. He was a guest on our podcast a while back when he’d written the book Career Renegade.
Jonathan’s had a very successful business and I asked him to share the secret about his magic touch. Here’s what he said:
“I have tried and failed online too many times to count. But,that’s just part of being an entrepreneur. You’re just constantly testing and you’re constantly listening to the audience and revising. Adaptation – the ability to listen and to adapt – are critical to survival whether you’re online or offline.”
We’ve tried a lot of things that haven’t worked out but as G’s dad said, they can’t take the education away away from you.
It’s not about failing, it’s about learning – finding a way to learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Not everything they teach you in school applies to business and life. Most of your education will come as a result of your exploration of life-long learning opportunities. They lead to BIGG success.
George “The Professor” & Mary-Lynn
Co-Founders, BIGG Success
Direct link to The BIGG Success Show audio file | podcast:
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/biggsuccess/01070-081621.mp3
