How to Build Intelligence - Part 3
Overview
Methodologies
There are various methodologies available to learn new information. Methodologies are similar to tools in a toolbox. We use a hammer to drive in a nail, and we use a screwdriver to remove a screw. Using the wrong tool will, in most cases, result in damage to the structure and tools, and will waste time, too.
Consultants have various methods of learning new information, and not all of the approaches will be used all the time; however, knowing when to use each method will serve you and increase your ability to learn.
Many years back, I was studying for an accounting exam in advanced financial accounting. One of the major sections of this course was learning to do a statement of cash flows and to determine the proper accounting entries for intercompany accounting. If you think that sounds boring, think how fun it was trying to learn this material on a Saturday afternoon when there were hundreds of other things I would rather have been doing.
Learning those steps challenged me, to say the least. I really struggled to grasp the mechanical approach to performing the steps. I would do a sample question numerous times and fix what I did wrong, and then redo it. Once I got it right, I would try another sample question and realize I was repeating all of the mistakes from the previous sample question. I wasn’t learning the steps, and I didn’t know how to learn them other than to put more time into practicing.
Fortunately, I told another accountant of my challenge with learning the material. She showed me how to use a mind map. I had never encountered a mind map before, but after she taught me about how they work and shared a book on the subject, I was able to apply those lessons to my accounting course. After building a mind map on the intercompany accounting steps, I immediately eliminated almost all of the errors that I had been repeating. Shortly after implementing this tool, I was able to successfully do sample questions with no errors at all. I had learned the material through the use of this methodology.
Using the correct methodology to learn is like using the right tool when doing a job. You learn it quicker and more effectively, and avoid damaging your morale.
Twelve Ways to Develop Your Intelligence (Points 6 to 12)
6. Seek
formal education
Although I use the term “training” throughout this
book, I am really referring to “education.” Training is more specifically the
act of teaching someone how to do something. This is important, but I believe
education is even more important. Education is the act of understanding how something is to be done along with
understanding why. The why is
important, as understanding why something is done or works a particular way
allows a consultant to better use their skills, and to use them in different
parts of their career and life. As a consultant, you should ask “Why?” when you
are learning something new. The question is not meant to be confrontational,
but rather to help you better understand how the pieces of a process link
together. I want you to use training as a step to education, and understanding
“why.” This is the only way to build true wisdom.
Brian Tracy recommends spending three percent of
what you want to earn on education. For instance, if you want to earn $100,000
next year, spend $3,000 on training and education this year. If you plan on
making $1 million next year, then you should spend $30,000 on education. This
may seem like a lot, but Tracy has found this to be consistently true
throughout his research. I have also found that the more money I spend on
personal training and education, the more my income rises. Make sure you invest
in yourself and build your knowledge.
There are ways of reducing the overall cost of
education. First, you can use the library and check out books at no cost. I’ve
used the library extensively, checking out hundreds of books over my life.
Another way of reducing the cost of education is
to use training sites like Udemy. Online training has reduced the costs of
education by keeping delivery expenses low. Many online course additionally
have divided their courses into modules, which also reduces the overall cost.
7. Learn
it just in time
One of today’s biggest challenges is keeping up
with the amount of information available. Getting access to information is not
an issue—rather, it’s being able to absorb and learn the information that is
the real challenge. One way to do this is with “just-in-time learning.”
The concept is that you learn the information you
need when you need it. Traditionally, consultants would sign up for a class and
wait a number of weeks for it to start. Just-in-time learning involves
on-demand classes that a consultant can sign up for and start immediately.
Times have changed. We have training, education, books, podcasts, blogs, and
other media at our fingertips. The challenge now is to learn what you need and
then run off and be distracted by the next shiny thing.
When I started consulting, my approach was to
always stay one page ahead of the client. This type of consulting is fine for
new consultants, but to become a valued consultant you need to be knowledgeable
in your subject. Just-in-time learning allows consultants to be educated on any
subject if and when it is required. Many courses are very affordable, and
sometimes access to the course materials is available long after you have
completed the training.
On the Internet
Business Mastery podcast, Jason Van Orden and Jeremy Frandsen explain how
to execute just-in-time learning with the following steps:
1.
Define the learning objective.
What do you need to learn?
2.
Find the right guides to get you
to your learning objective. This may be a:
·
course,
·
mentor,
·
podcast,
·
user guide, or
·
training environment.
3.
Establish filters with the
information that you come across. For example, ask:
·
Is this information needed for my
learning objective?
·
Can I use this information right
away?
4.
Get enough information for your
objective, and then implement the information you learned.
There will be times in your consulting career when
you need to learn something quickly. When this occurs, use just-in-time
learning to get up to speed at a fast pace.
8. Turn off distractions
One capability that students in the medical field
have is the ability to read something once and learn it. Their jobs require
them to cover so much material that they do not have the time to read it
multiple times before understanding it. With the increase in available information,
it is important that consultants learn to focus on what they are learning and
grasp the concept the first time, or at least fairly quickly. With the added
distractions of smartphones and constant social media connections, consultants
need to be able to focus on the material they are learning.
I once worked on a project with another consultant
who would bring his laptop to meetings and work on other tasks while the
meeting was being conducted. Of course, he would miss most of the information,
and we would have to repeat what was discussed if a question was asked directly
of him. This wasted a lot of people’s time and would make the meetings very
inefficient.
My recommendation is to turn off your phone and
email when taking a training course and when working through a problem. Don’t
tempt yourself with possible distractions.
9. Break concepts into sequential
steps
There are various ways to learn new concepts. One
of the most effective ways is to break the concept down into smaller steps.
Every concept, be it something complicated like sending a spacecraft into space,
or something more basic like brushing your teeth, is composed of smaller steps.
The ability to learn the concept is based on connecting those steps. This also
builds analytical and practical skills.
Linear thinkers like to have those steps
identified sequentially. This approach can fall apart once one of the
conditions changes.
Non-linear thinkers may not even read the list of
items, which is why many non-linear thinkers can miss steps on the easiest of
tasks. Most people remember concepts as pictures. If you were to close your
eyes and recall the house you grew up in, you would likely be able to describe
it in extreme detail. This is because most people think in pictures and not
words.
10.Use flow charts, diagrams &
mind maps
Flow charts and diagrams are great ways to learn
new concepts. These visual diagrams explain through symbols and shapes and
include words to demonstrate a concept. This approach can be used to better
learn business processes, decision-making procedures, and logical system
processes.
Another logical diagram is a mind map. Mind maps
are usually hand drawn; however, there is now is software that can create them,
too. This type of diagram uses pictures, colors, and words to build the links
and connections between steps in a process or concept. Mind maps can also be
connected to each other to link multiple complex concepts together. When used
correctly, people are able to recall the picture and steps in the picture just
as well as they can describe the house they grew up in.
11. Use analogies and metaphors
When verbally describing a process or a concept,
use analogies to explain it. When you say, “It is like …,” “It is similar to
…,” and other such phrases, you are using an analogy to describe a concept. If
you were to explain to someone in Ireland what American football is, you might
say it’s like rugby. Of course, rugby and American football are different, but
they are more the same than American football and golf. You wouldn’t say soccer
is like European football; you would just say it is the same.
Analogy is a way we learn new things, even if we
just make that analogy and comparison in our head.
Consultants who rely only on their technical
knowledge will seldom use analogies. This causes challenges when they are
teaching others new skills. I have seen a multitude of situations where a
technical consultant will get into the weeds on a topic, when the client only
needs to have a high-level understanding.
When you are teaching new concepts, use analogies
common to the people you are teaching. If you’re working with people in a
specific industry, learn as much as you can of the vocabulary on their industry
and region. This helps when teaching new concepts, as you can use more specific
analogies to get points across. Don’t try and impress anyone by using terms
they won’t understand. It doesn’t impress them—it confuses them, and then they
get angry at you. Use terms your client understands, and I promise, you are one
step closer to being their trusted advisor.
12. Use
it right away
We live in a fantastic era. We have information at
our fingertips, and everyone seems to be gathering information at breakneck
speeds. The problem is that few people are using the information they learn to
develop skills.
When you learn something new, follow up and take
the time to implement it right away. The longer you wait to put what you
learned into practice, the higher the chance of losing the information. People
seem to be addicted to gathering information, as if that is the goal in and of
itself. You are better off learning a few new things each year and putting them
into practice than you are learning several and putting none to use.
If you don’t learn and then use the skill, it’s
like you never learned the information in the first place. Put what you learned
into practice and build your toolkit of skills.
About The Consultant's Code Blog
The Consultant's Code Blog is a blog that contains excerpts from the #1 International Best Selling book The Consultants Code: Four Pillars To Success In Your Career And Life. The Consultant's Code focuses on skills that will help separate you from all of the other consultants by showing you how to properly develop and use the four pillars of success. The four pillars are intelligence, effort, likability and intent. Each pillar is discussed in detail and shows how common misconceptions that have been taught or believed has been holding consultants back. These misconceptions and inaccurate beliefs not only affect the consultants they negatively affect clients.
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