“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert
We all know that learning is not a new topic and that not knowing is never comfortable. We also know that human brains are wired for certainty, autonomy and safety. So what does this mean for lifelong learning and stepping into a paradigm of humble and curious knowledge acquisition? Most people equate learning with school, but is that too reductionist? After all, we do learn, but often we are learning convergent, not divergent, thinking. We are learning what to think but not how to think; we don’t learn how to critically assess and challenge things, or how to use the strength of our vulnerability to cross the bridge to curiosity.
Unfortunately, organisations tend to remain in the paradigm of learning being two-dimensional, optional, and not considered or defined as a lever for strategic advantage. These are always the first budgets to be cut in cost-saving programmes, when really, learning in its wider sense, and what it enables culturally in an organisation, should be a non-negotiable for business results.
This whole topic reminds me of one my most recent uncomfortable challenges during an end-of-season orchestral concert in July. Whilst it was discomfiting at times, it was also one of the most exhilarating learning experiences I have had as the whole orchestra embraced the collective challenge of stepping into the unknown and giving a concert of symphonic tango, which involved mixing two completely different genres to create a new, hybrid musical dissonance.
Music is a strange mix of knowing – discipline, understanding, mastery of the different lines of the stave, notes, keys, tempi and creativity – and letting things emerge as you go and surrendering to a more collective presence. Our conductor is a master at this, as he drives us through discipline, expertise and knowing, to a different emotional experience during the concert where he invites us to express ourselves within this framework.
Daring to learn
The tango is a partner and social dance that is known for being a passionate, emotional form of dance in which the couple hold each other closely and make abrupt — yet graceful and intentional — movements.
It was completely unfamiliar and hard for us to step out of the habits and structure of classical music, which is characterised by harmony, balance, and adherence to clear and established musical forms, and into something completely new, involving a different rhythm, a different feeling, different mastery. Tango music is characterised by its rhythmic and melodic structure, as well as its use of instruments such as the more unusual and non-orchestral bandoneon, cajon and guitar. It features distinctive syncopated rhythms, often marked by a strong, steady pulse suitable for dancing and creating emotional intensity.
As we tried desperately (and as a reflex) to fit the different and more emotionally intense rhythms into something more structured, and in a way more binary, our conductor invited and guided us into a new way of doing by explaining rhythms, visualising tempi and hand-holding us into a space where we were no longer chained to the classical formatting. We had to step back, listen and take the time to unlearn formatting to try our hand at something new, giving rise to a different collective perspective. It felt uncomfortable and clunky, yet liberating, joyous and novel all at the same time. So, although completely dissimilar in their origins, forms and context, the two very different musical genres of classical and tango share common ground in their complexity, emotional expression, and emphasis on instrumental virtuosity and mastery.
This is the same for leaders and teams in organisations: we are constantly looking at where we are different, what isn’t working and what will not fit into our stubborn efforts to shoe-horn new things into old boxes. So, what are the lessons we can learn here? How can we use our understanding of different extremes to constantly bridge the gap between the more binary – discipline, knowing and expertise – and the more complex – curiosity, experimentation and evolving – through learning?
Dancing to new tunes
This has to be one of the most frequent conversations I have in organisations, about how to manage complexity and innovation. The word ‘manage’ gives us a clue. What if we didn’t try to ‘manage’ but rather ‘navigate’ these complex systems? Navigation is about mastery, but it is also about adaptability and learning – you cannot weather a storm that hasn’t happened, and you never know what the storm will look and feel like, nor what impact and fallout it will have. We need to let things emerge, which takes time, humility and curiosity as well as discipline and structure.
One of the biggest myths of implementing new ways of working, and a more networked structure, is that it will be easier because there is less hierarchy and “no-one will be telling me what to do”. But the hardest part of any systems change is personal accountability. We cannot dance to new tunes unless we have understood how we dance, how we listen, what our rhythm is and where the opportunities are for improvisation, i.e. new and emerging thoughts and products. Leaders must create conditions for people to feel safe enough to step away from what they know and get excited about what they don’t know.
Contrary to popular belief, innovation is not about just “playing with ideas”, and as with flatter organisational structures, we need frameworks and clear individual and collective accountabilities for new practices and ideas to emerge. Here too, the emphasis should be on mastering the leadership skills needed to navigate the parts of the bigger whole.
Leaders need to cultivate the traits necessary for navigating complexity and building environments where learning can emerge. I discuss this very topic with Michelle Parry Slater, author of The Learning and Development Handbook and Strategic Practitioner, in our recent podcast (listen here). She tells us that peer learning is where the magic happens, and that the main challenge for leaders trying to pioneer a culture of learning is the ability to be vulnerable and demonstrate their own learning. It may sound like a risky strategy, but the impact and benefits outweigh the risks.
Meaningful and courageous conversations will dictate the quality of your conversations and therefore collaborations. I learn something every time I have a conversation, and that enriches my perspective for the next idea or conversation I have. I intentionally cultivate this curiosity and empathy to allow me to learn and remain both humble and relevant in today’s digital world. The importance of cultivating personal accountability and taking that intentional decision to step away from what we know to overtly give permission to try something new is key to creating these conditions.
Moving away from old refrains
Today, we so often get lost in who is delivering what, what title we have, how busy we are, how ‘important’ we are and how much power we have over people. What if we looked at how we can have power with people, how we can create teams that interact with other teams across a new value chain? This is the very essence of successful digital transformation and creating value differently: different business models, different people models, different leadership skills and ultimately different ways of being. The starting point is always individual, to be able to scale effectively. Transformation and the opportunity to create new habits needs the permission, environment, culture, safe space and ultimately the leadership to be able to become part of the normalised way of working.
We need a deep understanding of how to create the conditions and environment for transformation. We need conscious inclusion and deep listening for teams to be able to step into a different ‘genre’, a different rhythm and way of working and being. This is where agile methodologies fail the most – not in the mastery of the tools and methods, but in the sustainable awareness, understanding and application of how to create the conditions for people to be able to dance to new tunes.
Thank you for reading.
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You can also find more subjects like this in my podcast, Let’s talk Transformation, available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast.
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