Strategy Theme

Develop and deepen competencies that strengthen your value proposition while strategically adding skills in advance for when opportunity knocks.

What are you learning to master your craft?

Strategy Outcomes

By internalizing and practicing the concepts of this module, you will increase the ability to:

  • Grow power by mastering your trade built on a deep and ever-expanding set of knowledge acquired through experience, mentors, and education.
  • Evolve your persona and brand image to align with the next, higher-level role you aspire to experience.
  • Expand your options given an ever-advancing knowledge base

Learning Model

The learning strategies that follow align into one of three categories:

  • Learn by doing – knowledge and expertise that comes from performing the work or activity (~70%)
  • Learn from others – knowledge passed on from mentors and people who share feedback (~20%)
  • Learn through self-study – knowledge you acquire through formal training, courses, books, etc. (~10%)

Mental Models

  • Learn by Doing

    Mental Model Learn by doing to develop knowledge the fastest – taking actions in the real world. Master work to gain expertise and then negotiate for the specific work that advances the strength of your value proposition. Don’t just accept what you are given. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow your expertise and confidence…

  • Learn by Teaching It

    Mental Model The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher. Passively taking a course or reading a book is the first step. If you want to learn a topic at a deep level, then teach it to others. The challenge of teaching and sharing your knowledge will force you to learn…

  • Learn for Range – Diverse Experiences Trump Specialization

    Mental Model It’s commonplace to believe that there is a single path to success that starts early with a specialized, narrow focus. Our minds are influenced by popularized stories such as Tiger Woods that started playing golf at two years old. The most effective path to success in any domain is not what you think.…

  • Learn from the Masters

    Mental Model Given enough time, you can learn anything and everything. But the reality is that life is short and differentiating yourself from others means learning faster than your competitors. Your meandering to gain knowledge solely through self-experience will waste valuable years of your life. Engage mentors, those who have mastered their craft, to accelerate your career…

  • Learn Through Feedback – See It As A Gift

    Mental Model We all have blindspots – what is unknown to us, yet known to others. We lack an accurate view of how we perform or how our style is interpreted by others. People shy away from feedback due to their ego or the uncomfortable feeling when someone sees them differently from their internal perception.…

  • Learn to Live Below Your Means to Create Runway for a Career Pivot

    Mental Model The world is full of influences to drive your behavior to consume more and buy things you don’t really need or can’t afford. The financial burden of debt or long-term commitments begins to grow and constrain your choice and freedom. Your ability to transition to a more lucrative career path that requires a…

  • Learn to Say “No”

    Mental Model In the early stages of life, it’s good to say “yes” as often as you can to expand your perspective and gain experience. But as a successful, driven person there will come a time when choice and saying yes consumes you. You live a life of the trivial many and not the important,…

  • Learn to Want What Your Already Have

    Mental Model The constant appetite for wanting more and something new is a life of unhappiness. Once you acquire what you desire, you return to the dissatisfied state. Your work life may not be ideal right now, but be grateful you have a job and source of income. The grass is not always greener on…