Mastery?

Last week I volunteered with ICF-SC (International Coaching Federation, SC) as a coach at the ATD-SC Annual Conference (Association of Talent Development, SC). These Learning and Development Professionals gathered together together to explore “Break Boundaries and Unlock Potential”. Before I began my coaching work during the day, I got to learn from their keynote speaker – Dr. Keith Keating. 

Dr. Keating dropped all kinds of information (and humor). The piece that I am savoring today – Revan’s Law. 

L ≥ C

This organizational survival principle from Reg Revan states that for any organization to thrive and avoid extinction in a changing environment, its rate of learning must be greater than or equal to the rate of change occurring around it. 

• L: is the rate of Learning within an organization.
• C: is the rate of Change in the environment.

I find myself being curious about how this is reflected in our individual lives. Especially as the rate of change is so steep in this technological era. 

Here is what I think this morning. 

For any individual to thrive and not become crusty and grumpy in a changing environment, their rate of curiosity must be greater than or equal to the rate of change occurring around them. 

Sometimes that curiosity will lead to learning. 

Sometimes that curiosity will keep them from developing crusty hearts and brains. 

Any individual cannot possibly keep up with all the new stuff, all the headlines, all the trends. (So many books, podcasts, conferences; so little time.) But what an individual CAN do is to keep their learning membrane permeable, so that new thoughts and experiences are welcomed, not repelled. 

This doesn’t mean we have to adopt every stray dog that wanders across our mind’s front lawn, but instead of yelling at it to move on and get away, we can notice it, watch it, make up a story about where it is going, and get back to what we are doing. 

The risk we run when we stop being curious people (permeable membrane) is that we become stiff. We stop learning. We get crusty. We shut out life. 

Life is learning, and learning is life. We were taught in traditional school that mastery was (most often) the goal of learning. That doesn’t serve us. 

Those who have achieved mastery will tell you that they are still learning. Mastery may be a next level or a step of proficiency. But it is Never the end of learning. 

Maybe it would be better to say that Mastery is the beginning of a deeper and longer journey of understanding and growth. Maybe mastery is better called fluency – where you have learned a language well enough to have better conversations. 

I have passed the 50yo mark in my life. With this milestone has come some unsettling physical changes. The skin on my hands and arms is much less resilient. If I’m not careful I get itchy and even painful patches. I’ve begun trying and stashing lotion in places all around so that I can tend to the patches when they show up. But it is much more effective if I use lotion for regular care – preventing the ugly discomfort. 

What do you think would be a good lotion to keep your curiosity and learning supple and healthy? How can we keep our selves from getting crusty and grumpy?