I was working with a young administrative intern recently. She shared with me that she was uncomfortable because she really didn’t know what she was doing.
I said, let me tell you a story.
When I was growing up, I was so fortunate to not only be close to my own dad, but to my father-in-law Eugene Grimes as well.
Both are fantastic men who I learned a lot from. I am forever grateful.
My dad was not a very handy man, but as in every house there was always stuff to do. Instead of hiring a handyman, my dad would recruit my brother and I to basically figure it out. Whether it was painting, spackling, hanging items, replacing door knobs, whatever it was, he made us do it, and he paid us for it. It might’ve taken us double the time to complete, but eventually, we figured it out and we learned how to do these things versus hiring someone to do it for us. I learned a lot without ever knowing what I was doing. Remember this was before the day and age of YouTube DIY videos and more. It was old-school directions and a whole lot of trial and error.
After I got married, Eugene (my amazing father in law) and I did numerous projects together not only at his house, but also my parents’ house and my own house. Eugene was a master of all crafts and really could do anything. It was so impressive to watch him work and see his knowledge base. From fine woodworking to big construction. He certainly knew what the heck he was doing. We did so many jobs together, including putting a brand new front porch on my parents’ house. The hats we wore said, “We can make anything look better!” I remember those times together. He is the best.
I learned from Eugene by watching him and following his guidance. He would say, “Do this, and this is the result that we will get.” That’s exactly what happened! There was little effort to figure it out, because he knew what he was doing. I learned so much from Eugene because of his knowledge, experience, and expertise.
So I explained this phenomenon to my intern: Two totally different ways of doing things–one–just by doing and figuring it out, and the second, learning from an expert who’s done it before. Both are great strategies and great ways to learn. In the end, you grow, improve, and are more confident and competent through both methods.
How best do you learn? What is your go-to strategy? What are you working on? Keep surviving & thriving, friends.
