LEARNING: ENTITLEMENT OR PRIVILEGE?

It is enlightening to see how those who get a chance to study, at the expense of others, respond to that privilege.  This is especially true for adult learners who are sent by their employers to study for a degree through an extra-curricular program. 

One finds two groups of adult learners.  Each group has a different attitude to the opportunity that so many other South Africans wish they could have. 

The more mature group (in mind and not in age) take the chance that their employers give them, with both hands.  They explore the new ideas.  They debate the points for clarity.  They make those new ideas their own, and they inspire their lecturers to give their best to those eager minds. 

These are the leaders in the companies that they come from.  They may not sit in the highest seats in their organisations, but they prove through their attitude that they have great potential.  They are real, hidden assets for this country that needs educated leaders who can inspire others by their attitudes and by their thirst for knowledge. 

Of course, there has to be the other side, too.  Those who think that they do not have to do anything in return for the free bursary that their employers give them.  The moment that they set foot on academic grounds, (wherever it is), they undergo a metamorphosis. 

This group refuses to take notes.  They are tardy.  Being an hour or more late for class seem to be the norm rather than the exception.  They storm out of classes and slam doors behind them when a lecturer dares to reprimand them for their behaviour.  They refuse to participate in discussions, and their deliver assignments that portray a highly unprofessional image of them and the company that they represent.  In short, they are actually an embarrassment to themselves and to the companies who spent thousands to give them an opportunity to earn a degree.  Last, they fail their courses and blame everyone else but himself or herself for that failure. 

The interesting thing is that one would expect this sort of negative behaviour from an eighteen year-old.  Certainly, a twenty-five year-old or thirty year-old should know better to show such puerile behaviour. 

South Africa cannot afford to waste education on those who get it free from their employers, and who refuse to appreciate the value of the gift to the future that their employers so richly bestow on them. 

What is wrong with such a picture? 

This is the official blog of Skopus Business Consultants.  Visit us at www.skopus.co.za

The Skopus Prize is a trademark and intellectual property of Skopus Business Consultants.

More details about the Skopus Entrepreneurship Prise can be found at www.skopus.co.za

 

The Positive Use of Fear

FEAR. 

The very word is enough to make one break into a cold sweat.  This is because we do not know how to use fear to our advantage. 

Our practice encounters many cases where career changers cannot move forward.  There are simply too many “What if” questions that keep people in one place.  Most “What if” questions are simply leaved unanswered. 

Later in life, “What if” questions have a nasty habit to turn into many “If only” regrets. 

“If only I started that business three years ago”.

“If only I drew the designs for that innovation quicker”.

“If only I studied for that course”. 

Thus, we experience regret because we did not respond to an opportunity, or did not use our fears to our advantage. 

Many of us see fear as something unpleasant because we do not understand that most fears are actually False Evidences Appearing Real.  Ask yourself this:  how many of the fears that you had last year actually happened?  Ten per cent?  Twenty per cent?  More?  You see, it is only when we apply hindsight that we can understand that our fears are phantoms.  Unfortunately, we hardly ever learn from the past.  If only a small fraction of the fears we had last year came true, what is the chance that similar percentage would come true in the year that is ahead? 

Entrepreneurs and those who contemplate a career change have many things in common with brave soldiers.  That is my key thought today. 

Even the bravest of soldiers will tell you that they experience fear.  They would tell you that, when they are in a tough battle, fear is what keeps them going forward.  Fear is what keeps them alert.  They become intensely aware of their surroundings and the can avoid hazards almost automatically. 

How do brave soldiers master fear and get out of battles in more or less one piece?  They go to GROUND.  Many military training facilities in the world use this acronym.  Let us take a close look at this acronym.  Each letter in this acronym represents an action.

 

G	Given situation.  What is the situation that you experience?  How did you get to this situation?  What harms does this situation have?  What possible rewards could this situation have?
R	Route. How can you get out of this situation? What should be done do avoid harm in this situation? What should be done to make use of the rewards that this situation could offer?
O	Observe. Soldiers are taught to observe a battlefield in a unique manner.  Proofreaders use the same technique when they review manuscripts.  We typically look at something from left to right because most of us read and write from left to right.  By looking at something from right to left, helps to spot things that do not belong or that could not have been observed through a normal left to right scanning.   What could be done differently? What can you think of that nobody else thought about? What is the obvious that everyone else ignores? What jumps out that we did not see before?
U	Under Cover. What can be done to avoid harm? What things caused harm in the past? How much of what we observe are actually things that were harmful in the past and that we have not done anything about? What do we know that our competitors do not know? How can we prevent my competitor to obtain that knowledge so that it can be used to our benefit?
N	Neutral Territory What is the safest route that I can take? How do I avoid harm when I start to move? If I move forward, do I move rapidly yet cautiously?
D	Defend How do I use the situation to my advantage? How do I safeguard myself against a similar situation in the future? How do I continue to find advantages that I could use?

Once we decide to go to GROUND, it is possible to use fear to our advantage.  We are able to understand the situation and we are able to make the most of the situation by asking a series of simple questions.

 

This is the official blog of Skopus Business Consultants.  Visit us at www.skopus.co.za

The Skopus Prize is a trademark and intellectual property of Skopus Business Consultants.

More details about the Skopus Entrepreneurship Prise can be found at www.skopus.co.za