NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

 I empathize with those parents who for the past couple years have had a rude awakening to the ‘new’ world of home schooling which was imposed upon them by this global pandemic – covid 19. In fact, some have had a “double whammy”. Not only did they have to figure out what to do with their children with face-to-face school indefinitely out, but they have also had to figure out what to do with themselves, as some have either lost their jobs, and/or are now working from home. What ah prekkeh!!!

Well, I can tell you, many were “pulling out their hair” as they simply had to figure it out!!! They have, and continue to do so. As we celebrate Heroes Day here in Jamaica on October 18, let’s celebrate these heroes – our super moms and dads who found the resources, learned new technologies, and became Assistant Teachers to their children - from toddlers to university students literally overnight.

As you see, adults are being homeschooled too.  We never have all the answers.  In fact, we are learning this thing called life, on-the-job, often from what we did not get right the first, second or even third time around. I guess this means I have over 50 years of on-the-job learning and experience.

Do I finally have the requirements for the job?  Ha!  In fact, I imagine that if there were to be a job description for life it would say - "No experience required" but would be an asset.  What is really required is life-long learning, an important part of which is learning from others' experiences as well as our own.  This is what I hope to facilitate through these postings. 

We don’t always learn though. While we all have experiences, we do not always learn from them, nor does a lesson once learnt, always stick. Learning is not automatic, nor is it static.

At Jamaica College where my son attended high school the young men are taught three (3) Rs to help their learning – Read, Review, Repeat. From my experience this does work for academic learning. With a little tweaking, this formula works just as well for life learning. The revised formula could be summed up in four (4) Rs - Reflect, Review, Respond, Repeat.

We have to take time to REFLECT on our experiences in order to REVIEW what happened. This is when we begin to learn – as we critically look at what worked and what didn’t, we can then develop relevant solutions to apply to current or future problems. When we RESPOND to what we unearth and apply the lessons learned from our past or from others, that is when we reinforce the learning. We further reinforce the learning when we continuously REPEAT the application of lessons learnt in similar situations as they arise throughout life.

Several years ago, my post was made redundant and I was relieved of my job after 11 years of service. The loss, disappointment, hurt, and embarrassment, while not new emotions, were intense and potentially scarring nonetheless. This would happen again, 6 years later, but this time it was easier as I had learned from that experience and was better prepared in many ways. Upon reflection and reviewing my situation then, I learned that I needed to improve my marketability, and responded by securing my master’s degree. I was therefore ready for the transition. Because of my qualification and experience, I was able to secure a replacement job immediately.

I learnt so much from my sojourn at the three (3) organizations in which I had served for a collective 23 years. My career in Human Resource Management was initiated and nurtured in the first organization, even as I climbed the proverbial ladder to leadership and management. I became certified in group facilitation and was exposed to consultancy at the second organization.

 At the third and final organization, I honed my managerial, leadership, and facilitation skills along with my profession of choice – Human Resource Management and Development. The collective experience gained at all three organizations is invaluable, and, immeasurably prepared me for my own consultancy which I started six years ago. It is also the source of my passion to help organizations and the people that comprise them, to successfully navigate, survive, and thrive, through inevitable change.

 I continue to learn about the world of consultancy and entrepreneurship. In the school of life there is no final exam nor graduation, and thank God it is not about attaining perfection. We get to keep learning. It is a beautiful and actually exciting life-long process of reflection, review, response, and repetition.

This weekend, take some time to reflect on and review the past week. What lessons can you learn from the events of the week, whether good, bad or ugly? How will you respond to what you have discovered? What will you NOT repeat? What will you repeat?

This weekend’s reset tip:

Take some time to learn from others by reading their books or blogs, listening to podcasts or YouTube channels, or taking online courses, like my upcoming recharge and reset course. At no time has it been easier than today to access information and to learn, no matter what our interest may be. One of my favourite authors and coaches for leadership advice is John Maxwell, and two of my favourite YouTube life and success motivational speakers, teachers, coaches and authors are Terri Savelle-Foy and Priscilla Shirer.

Thanks for reading The Weekend Reset.  I would love to hear about your favourite ways to learn and your favourite teachers or coaches., so please share in the comments. If you enjoyed ‘‘The Weekend Reset’ blog, go ahead and share it with a friend.  If you have not yet subscribed, you can do so below.

Sharon Carruthers, the author of the ‘Weekend Reset’ blog is a child of God, wife, mother of 3, a Human Resource Management and Development Consultant, and owner of the firm, ‘Bold Consulting’.  She is sharing from her own experiences for women who are holding back, or living on autopilot; who believe their identities are in others and, or in what they do; or who neglect themselves while sacrificially taking care of others. She hopes that together Christian women can embrace the future with the beautiful hope of transformation one step at a time.