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Keeping A Learning Journal
Two recent studies reported in Harvard Business Review listed a “failure to learn from past mistakes” as one of the most common reasons that leadership careers stall or, in some cases, end.
The problem was not that these leaders made mistakes, but rather that they failed to learn from the mistakes that they made and therefore repeated them again.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
—Albert Einstein
Fortunately, there is a simple and inexpensive way to help managers learn from their mistakes (and even their successes). Get them to keep a learning journal.
Put simply, a learning journal is a central place where leaders record their observations, thoughts and ideas. You can use any notebook as a learning journal, or you may even choose to keep it as an online blog. There are many ways a learning journal can help managers to become better leaders. Yet, when it comes to preventing career derailment and learning from mistakes, two methods are particularly useful.
Technique 1: Recall, Reflect, Connect
Managers should use this technique whenever they experience a failure, setback or unexpected crisis of some kind.
- Start by recalling what has happened. You need to stick to the facts rather than your interpretation of them. What happened? What did you do? What did you fail to do? How did you feel? What did other people do or not do? How did they feel?
- Now reflect on why you believe things happened the way that they did. Craft your ideas into generalized models and theories about what it means to lead well within the context of this event. Occasionally, your models will become refined enough to warrant sharing. Once in a while, take the time to write them as short snippets of advice such as “Four Ways To …, Five Steps To …, or Three Things To Avoid When …”
- Finally, look at ways to connect your experiential wisdom with other situations and knowledge sources. Where will you use your wisdom in the future? How do your ideas fit with your previous beliefs about leadership? How do they differ? Where might you apply these lessons in the future?
Technique 2: Using the Past to Help You Right Now
The second technique involves drawing on past lessons to help you successfully meet a challenge that you are currently facing.
- Start by defining the challenge. What are you trying to achieve? What do you want to avoid or prevent?
- Now compare how this challenge is similar to previous challenges that you have faced.
- Finally, write down what you learnt from those past challenges that may help you make the best choice in your current situation.
