Average Ideas Are Dangerous

The danger of average ideas is they work.

“The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” G.K. Chesterton

Unlearning is like breaking concrete with a Jello hammer.

Average ideas are safe.

We desire change but grip the present. Old dogs don’t learn when they can’t unlearn.

The Challenge

The challenge of unlearning is letting go in three areas.

• Ways of thinking about ourselves.
• Ways of thinking about others.
• Ways of thinking about the way things get done.

Old Dogs

1. Defend rather than engage.
2. Blame instead of own.
3. Find fault rather than seek solutions.
4. Trust in authority rather than relationship.
5. Believe accountability concerns power to punish rather than shared responsibilities.

Confronting Average Ideas

Unlearning is listening to discomforting ideas.

1. Unlearning is stopping.
2. Unlearning is letting go.
3. Unlearning is moving away from.
4. Unlearning takes humility.

You’re getting things done with current methods. The challenge of unlearning is trying on untested behaviors.

Topics for unlearning and relearning:

1. Focus on problem-solving rather than building a preferred future. It takes more courage to create something new than to fix something old.
2. Tell less. Ask more. Curiosity is today’s untapped leadership skill.
3. Ignite, monitor, and manage energy.
4. The potential of introverts.
5. Narrowing responsibility to the controllable.
6. Discussing expectations rather than demanding.
7. Turning toward awkward conversations.

Unlearning is the path to growth.

Where might leaders need to engage in unlearning?

What have you unlearned and relearned?

Adapted from: Why Old Dogs Don’t Learn New Tricks

The Myth of the Average