"The Illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." -- Alvin Toffler
One of the greatest obstacles to accepting innovation and the need for new business methods is to accept old methods, practices and rules may no longer apply. When working with executives and board of directors on strategic planning we have discussions on "Sacred Cows." Invariably, more exists than anyone wants to admit. I can tell the depth of the "cow commitment" by how vigorously they defend it.
Unlearning has to be one of the most challenging things a person can do. Even when you know there are better habits (dealing with eating, exercise, and communication; for example) people will fall back into old habits, patterns and comfort levels.
How do you unlearn something?
When you are convinced old learned behaviors are bad enough to cause damage, you begin to unlearn those behaviors. Weight Watchers, Alcoholic Anonymous are there to help people unlearn bad behaviors and then they are able relearn and replace bad choices with better behaviors.
Corporations need to do the same thing. Ask yourself, what old behaviors do you need to be convinced are no longer good for the company? Is your branding outdated? Mr. Whipple lasted longer than his usefulness for the bathroom tissue that is squeezably soft. At the beginning of that campaign he was your friendly grocer; in today's world he would be perceived as a pervert! Societal attitudes change, so must your business.
Three steps to unlearning:
1. Make a list of those things you need to unlearn that no longer apply to today’s business environment.
Marketing methods, interviewing processes, performance evaluations, leadership development, product R&D, sales approaches, even the products you offer need to come under a strict review complete with employee and customer survey information to get the real picture.
Because frankly, sometimes you have to ask someone outside of the family whether your baby is ugly or not.
2. List the specific reasons why these are no longer the right way to operate your business.
Once you have created the list of behaviors and habits that have to be unlearned you need to delve deeper in to the whys. Rarely, does a smoker quit smoking for good until a health scare happens. Unfortunately, in some cases it is too late, and the same can be said for businesses. The reasons why behaviors no longer apply clarify the immediate need to unlearn.
Entire industries are disappearing because they failed to recognize what they needed to unlearn and why it must be done sooner rather than later. Once information became so prevalent on the Internet for free, the previous purveyors of daily news delivery (newspapers) should've taken note. For many of those newspapers it is too late, and they are no longer in business.
3. Accept that transition is painful
Anytime there is significant shift in expected and acceptable behaviors there is pain involved. There is pain for people who need to learn new skills, pain for people who liked the comfort of the old ways, pain for people who refuse to comply and must move on, and pain for those driving the changes because the pushback can be relentless.
To unlearn is to admit your ways are wrong. To convince others in the organization to unlearn is not only to convince them current methods are wrong, but to trust your assessment of the situation and to follow you down the harder path of change.
Most people only unlearn when the pain is too great employing the old ways of doing things. Great leadership has the presence of mind to recognize the fallibility of old ways and begins the unlearning process before the pain gets too great. Obviously, this year has been a painful economic experience. How are using this opportunity to unlearn what put your organization in this level of pain?
Posts
