Worth Reading – Unlearning Is an Important Part of Learning

I don’t care whether we’re discussing technology, the workplace, politics, history, or any other subject. Learning something new almost always means unlearning something you believe today.

Letting go of outdated beliefs, inaccurate opinions, and unproductive habits makes room for new ideas and practices.

https://admiredleadership.substack.com/p/unlearning-is-an-important-part-of

I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Change is our reality. The most challenging students I worked with as a trainer weren’t the ones who struggled with a concept or had to overcome a barrier related to language or cultural understanding. It was the ones who didn’t think they needed to change anything they had been doing for years. They didn’t understand why they were being asked to change the way they worked.

As a trainer, it was essential to understand that hurdle and be prepared to provide the rationale behind the change. It didn’t always matter, but being able to show them how this change would help them going forward could go a long way toward their being in a position to learn.

As a student, however, it’s vital to your career to recognize that you will likely have to change many times over during your career. New technology, new industries, new ways of working, etc., are going to impact you. Staying put and doing the same thing for 20-30 years is not an option. You will need some flexibility, which includes the ability to drop things that no longer make sense. Your career will never include a time when you can stop learning.

Then again, I can’t imagine a point in my life when I wouldn’t want to continue learning new things. I understand that requires being willing to unlearn things as well. That’s not always easy, but it’s necessary.

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