Unlearning 101

A Marshall Plan for Unlearning

In 2005, I wrote a book entitled Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: The Leadership Lessons of General George C. Marshall. As a result, I have the opportunity to occasionally travel to Lexington, Virginia to speak at the Marshall Foundation.

Recently, after one of my talks, I had the pleasure of listening to Terry Newell deliver a lecture on "Strategic Leadership: George C. Marshall and the Marshall Plan." In it, he dissected Marshall's original speech on "The Marshall Plan". (By the way, Marshall himself never called it the Marshall Plan -- he was far too modest -- and instead always referred to it as The European Recovery Act.)

What had never occurred to me -- and what Newell brought to my attention -- is that the "Marshall Plan" ends with a series of questions:

"And yet the whole world of the future hangs on a proper judgment. It hangs, I think, to a large extent on the realization of the American people, of just what are the various dominant factors. What are the reactions of the people? What are the justifications of those reactions? What are the sufferings? What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done? Thank you very much."

Newell then asked the audience the significance of this gesture. No one responded, so he offered that it was Marshall's way of inviting his audience to not only think of the enormous problems facing Europe at that time but as a way of inviting dialogue as well.

As readers know, I'm a huge proponent of asking questions as a method of unlearning and what Marshall so eloquently reminds us is that one of the biggest benefits of asking questions is that they can till, cultivate and nurture the ground from which new thinking -- and solutions -- can emerge.

To this end, it is worth noting that when Marshall delivered his historic speech there was no such thing as "The Marshall Plan." The plan, which has been hailed by many historians as the greatest act of diplomacy of the 20th century, was only formulated afterwards with assistance of American and European diplomats, legislators, and citizens.

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Country Road Dangers

The other day I discussed this interesting paradox involving bike helmets and suggested that innovative designers might be able to craft a solution. I'd now like to pose another opportunity to creative designers--design safer country roads.

People mistakenly feel safer on country roads even though they are far more dangerous than urban streets. In fact, although only 23% of the population lives and works in rural settings over 57% of all accidents occur on rural roads.

There are a number of reasons for this (i.e. people are more likely to drink-and-drive on country roads; they are more likely to speed; feel as though they don't have to pay close attention, etc.) but could country roads also be designed in way to improve safety?

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Reduce Mental Flabbiness: Unlearn

This wonderful commentary by David Brooks was recently brought to my attention. It is entitled A Case of Mental Courage and I highly recommend it. I especially enjoyed the final paragraphs:

To use a fancy word, there’s a metacognition deficit. Very few in public life habitually step back and think about the weakness in their own thinking and what they should do to compensate. A few people I interview do this regularly (in fact, Larry Summers is one). But it is rare. The rigors of combat discourage it.

Of the problems that afflict the country, this is the underlying one. 

Because we so rarely think about the weakness in our own thinking, we have, to use Brooks marvelous phrase, become "mentally flabby." Unlearning is one strategy to keep your mind quick, flexible, adaptable and strong.

Rules? What Stinkin' Rules

I really like the photo to the right. I have no idea if it's real or if it's photoshopped but it makes a powerful point: What good are rules if they can't be enforced.

I was reminded of this point yesterday after Wikileaks released the Afghanistan War Logs. As the following quote from this post in PressThink eludes, the rules for reporting -- or not reporting -- state secrets have changed. 

"In media history up to now, the press is free to report on what the powerful wish to keep secret because the laws of a given nation protect it. But Wikileaks is able to report on what the powerful wish to keep secret because the logic of the Internet permits it. This is new."

This is new. It is time for the media, politicians and the public to unlearn their old rules.

Does Your Business Need to Unlearn?

As a leader you must nurture an organization that can rapidly adapt. Unlearning can help.

Unlearning can also help you innovate. In fact, unlearning can even assure you and your organization survive.

After years of work, I am pleased to report that I have now developed both a half and a full-day seminar designed to help organizations unlearn—and thus adapt, innovate and survive.

Below is a short 9-minute video overview of the program. If you are interested in how “unlearning” can help your organization, please contact me atjack@unlearning101.com or 612.267.1212.

A $700 Billion Opportunity

Did you know that an estimated one-third to one-half of the$2.2 trillion Americans spend annually on health care is spent on unnecessary tests, treatments and doctor visits? What happens while people are undergoing these tests and procedures is that the body frequently heals itself.

In other words, it is possible that Americans could save an estimated $700 billion by doing nothing. Of course, if you are sick you don't want to delay treatment because the situation might grow worse; but for many ailments -- especially back problems and colds -- time is the best remedy. 

Such a solution might not make you feel better immediately but it could save you a lot of money provided you are willing to unlearn your bias for action.

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Unlearning What Works in Schools

"From the local school district to the federal Department of Education, humility, caution and open-mindedness are in order. Because right now, the main thing we know about improving schools is that we don't know very much."

This is the final paragraph from a thoughtful editorial by Steve Chapman. I encourage those who are confident that school vouchers are the solution to all that ails inner city public schools as well as those who are equally certain that more money and smaller classes are the answer to fixing our schools to read the article.

Question the Wisdom of Experts

 

 “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” John Cage

 

 

Question: Write the letter “E” on your forehead. (Go ahead, I’ll wait. You may also just trace the letter on your forehead if that’s more comfortable for you). Did you write the letter in a self-oriented fashion such that it would appear backwards to those viewing it or did you write it backwards so that it would appear legible to others?

 

In a fascinating study conducted by Adam Galinsky of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Galinsky and his colleagues found that the more power an individual possessed, the more likely the person was to draw the letter from their perspective -- making it appear backwards to others. In fact, individuals assigned to a high power group were three times more likely to draw a self-oriented “E.”

 

The study concluded that power caused individuals to assign too much weight to their own viewpoint and made them less able to adjust to, or even consider, another person’s perspective.

 

It is worth keeping this study in mind when listening to any expert discuss a new idea. For instance, in 1899, Lord Kelvin, then recognized as one of the brightest individuals in the world dismissed the work of the aviation enthusiasts by saying “Heavier than air machines are impossible.” A mere four years later, Kelvin was forced to eat his words when two bicycle repairmen from Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright, struck out on the sandy dunes of Kitty Hawk and achieved flight.

 

In the mid-1980’s, a conference full of ulcer experts ridiculed the work of Barry Marshall when he  proposed that ulcers were not caused by acid or spicy food – as ulcer experts assumed at the time – but rather were caused by bacteria. It took 10 years but eventually the American Medical Association (AMA) agreed and, in 2005, a full two decades after he first proposed his theory, Marshall and his colleague, Robin Warren, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

 

That experts should be threatened by new ideas is to be expected. After all, it is incredibly difficult to accept the notion that years of well-intentioned study, research and effort were misdirected. It is equally problematic to accept that the foundation of one’s power – one’s status and standing in the eyes of society -- was based on a flawed premise.

 

What is even more troublesome is that rather than keep an open mind and entertain new ideas which may challenge one’s expertise, many experts perform the equivalent of writing a backwards “E” on their forehead and refuse to consider new alternatives. Often, they’ll even go a step further and use their status as experts to ridicule and belittle the new idea.

 

The problem is then further compounded because experts are often extremely intelligent and are able to lay out in articulate and plausible sounding – but, ultimately, wrong -- arguments as to why the new ideas should be dismissed.

 

New ideas, by their very nature, challenge old ideas. It is dangerous, therefore, to cede sole control of the assessment of new ideas to the very group which would be most threatened by the adoption of these ideas.

 

It is, of course, entirely reasonable that experts be allowed a role in assessing new ideas but before anyone does they should insist that the experts take a moment and turn the first letter of “expert” backwards as a reminder that expertise doesn’t necessarily equal correctness and that they must entertain new perspectives.

Question #15: In 1933, what brilliant scientist uttered this famous quote: “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable”? Hint: His name began with “E” and he later publicly reversed his position in a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Extra credit: After the near meltdown of the global financial market in 2008-2009, what other group(s) of experts might have benefited from entertaining a new perspective?

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Leader or Outcast?

Take a look at the picture to the right. Do you think of the lone fish as a leader or an outcast? If you are an American you are likely to consider it as a bold, independent leader. If, however, you are from Asia -- where more emphasis is placed on group unity -- you are more likely to consider the fish as an outcast.

Obviously, there is no right or wrong answer but it does serve as a reminder that whatever view you hold the opposite may also be true.

Unlearning Empty Space

Artists can help revitalize urban spaces but first city planners and developers must unlearn some of their ideas about what retail spaces can be used for. To the right is a picture of an abandoned Blockbuster video store. Pictures like this are only going to become more common as people unlearn their reliance on DVDs and begin downloading and streaming movies directly from the Internet and into their homes.

The big question is: What happens with all of this empty retail space? Sure, a few stores will be replaced by neighborhood restaurants and new retailers but, for the foreseeable future, many will remain vacant. The result: urban blight

One strategy is to allow artists access to these spaces at a discounted rate. For example, a local community theatre group could use an old Blockbuster to perform new and innovative shows. Another option could be for local artists to use the spaces to show their latest paintings, sculptures, other pieces of art or even to teach classes.

The space is going to be physically empty. The best way to fill it is with the human creativity that resides within the human mind.