Coming back to basics


At the beginning of Chapter 1, we started with two vital questions: what makes a truly outstanding business, and what capabilities does a business generate that makes it extra-ordinary and very hard to copy? Over the fifteen chapters many suggestions have been made to help you answer these questions.

Whatever your reflections and feelings, this journey will have to continue in order to make the progress you require. In fact, when we stop asking these questions it is likely that we have lost the focus we need to run a successful business or build a better career. So place them firmly on the agenda and use them as a reference point to position and increase the power of your knowledge.

If we were to take a poll on the major theme of this book, my sense is

that many basic ideas would come to mind. Here are seven that were in my thoughts as I wrote this book:

  • collaboration

  • compelling vision

  • digital technology

  • deeper learning

  • flow

  • safe space

  • review.

Of course, depending on your needs and experience there may be many other themes that jumped out for you. In this regard I am most interested to hear and discuss your thoughts and conclusions. I would strongly encourage you to contact me at www.alastairrylatt.com and share with me your ideas at any time. I will do my best to reply within a few days.

As we reach the final pages it is imperative that we again remind ourselves of some key messages. First, if we wish to win the knowledge game we must have a very clear reason for our learning. We need to understand why we are bothering to develop our capabilities, while also understanding who else will stand to benefit. Our dreams, goals and intentions are drivers that maintain our curiosity and passion. Whether it is establishing learning goals or mapping out a plan for a business, such focus can never be undervalued. It is the impetus that guides us and motivates us.

Having explored focus and motivation, managers can then shift their attention to improving systems, programmes and processes. In business this means championing practical ways for people to exchange, store and share vital insight and innovation. For this to happen there must be simple and clearly understood ways for people to contribute and innovate. With this attitude a business will be off to a flying start, not because it can control and package the knowledge generated, but because it will be feeding and nurturing a learning process that is resilient, adaptive and enduring .

Remember, be a magnet for learning. Radiate your brilliance not on how much you know but by creating a climate for others to show their genius. Secure lasting success by creating openness, receptivity and a curious nature. Foster a spirit that sees wisdom in various people, places and forms while allowing others to do the same. Nurture the learning that you have at your disposal. Know when to enlighten and stimulate but also when to give ample space and opportunity to grow. Be aware of those people who stifle learning and knowledge, and remind them of their responsibilities, while clearly understanding why they see the world as they do. Then work towards building a shared commitment to a better and exciting future.

As in any game, success rarely happens overnight, you need to be in it for the long haul. If you reach a hurdle or are confused , avoid becoming paralysed. See the creative tension as a new opportunity to share ideas and build better understanding. Be prepared to review your plans and vision and to make modifications. The fact is in life that breaking new ground is rarely achieved in a zone of familiarity and comfort . Most often quantum leaps in learning occur when we are forced or choose to do something new or different, leading to new behaviours, assumptions and mental models.

Of course, winning the knowledge game cannot be sustained in an atmosphere of fear and compliance. Managers need to inspire confidence, learn from mistakes and celebrate success to progress. We also need to be grateful of our strengths and the gifts we bring, as well as having a healthy approach to self-improvement and growth.

From experience being able to work and learn together is far more important than any financial, technical or technological solution. We need to connect emotionally, intellectually and spiritually if we are to grow and succeed. Businesses, and more specifically managers, are notoriously bad at managing relationships. It is very easy to have a healthy relationship when things are rosy and times are good but when things take a turn for the worse the real test begins.

In business as in life, relationship skills should never be assumed, they must be developed and worked on. It is not so much that people do not have the technical skills, it is that they do not have the desire or the ability to get on with each other. People need to discuss more rigorously how they can work better together by building a more shared and worthwhile purpose. All too often businesses visions and plans fail to connect with the values and hopes of their people. If only they spent a little more time forming relationships the potential for teamwork, shared commitment and learning would be so much greater. No level of business acumen will help you if you are unable to generate trust and mutual advantage.




Winning the Knowledge Game. Smarter Learning for Business Excellence
Winning the Knowledge Game. Smarter Learning for Business Excellence
ISBN: 750658096
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 129

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