Unlearning 101

The Need to Unlearn is Staring You in the Back of the Head

I recently read Chris Chabris and Daniel Simon's excellent book, The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us, and found myself unlearning a great deal. For a fun test, answer this question: Can you tell when someone is staring at you from behind? Now watch the video below. (For an explanation read the book).

A Dilemma: The Problem with Problem-Solvers

Please solve this problem: Tell me if the following statement is true or false:

"This statement is false."

If the statement is false, then it is true. If the statement is true, then it is false.

The above example is a well-known paradox but I believe one of the things society, parents, teachers, bosses and our educational establishment must unlearn is the idea that we need to create "problem-solvers."

What if some of today's most pressing issues can't be solved? What if the best society can do is select between a series of less-than-desirable options?

I am a big fan of being able to embrace ambiguity and, therefore, I'd like to suggest that if society is hell-bent on creating more "problem solvers" that it should also spend some time creating "dilemma managers" -- people who can embrace ambiguity; appreciate complexity; see beyond the traditional choices of black or white; and who can envision multiple paths to a better future.

Why? Because the world is complex; it isn't black or white; there are multiple paths forward; and solutions aren't always clear-cut.

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Danger: Prevention Has Risks of Its Own

Did you know that after childproof lids on medicine bottles were introduced, it led to a significant increase in the number of child poisonings? The reason is because parents became less careful about keeping the bottles away from their children.

I am all for taking preventative action -- especially to protect kids -- but we should never fool ourselves in believing that we can make the world child-proof. 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll reiterate one of my favorite quotes: "Trying to child-proof the world makes us neglect the more important task of world-proofing the child."

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Unlearning Danger for Your Child's Sake

 

Underground Unlearning

"Clearly there is a lot going on deep in the Earth that is completely unknown to science." So concludes this fascinating article in The Economist on, of all things, carbon.

Did you know, for example, that although carbon is critical to life on earth the scientific community has no idea of how much of the stuff actually exists on Earth? Ranges estimate anywhere from between 0.07% to 3.2% of the planet. That's a huge discrepancy for such a vital element.

I was also surprised to learn that while I had grown up believing oil and natural gas are formed near the Earth's surface from the fossilized bodies of living organisms, some Russian scientists believe petroleum is "abiogenic" and that the Earth's temperature and pressure convert carbonates and water into hydrocarbons. I don't know enough to render an opinion on this topic but I do believe in remaining intellectually humble and staying open to new possibilities; and, if the Russian scientists are correct, oil and gas could be much more prevelant than we had previously believed.

Lastly, I was surprised to discover still other scientists estimate that up to half of all living matter on Earth may resides at depths of 5KM below the surface. If true, that's a whole lot of life about which most of us are completely unaware. (It is also yet another item that I need to add to my notebook of things I don't know.)

It is also a fitting metaphor for unlearning -- There will always be so much more that we don't know than what we do know. This simple fact should remind us that we must always be open to -- and prepared for -- unlearning.

Interested in a little unlearning quiz about carbon? Check out this old post:

Wooden Wisdom

Perhaps you'd like to see another visual metaphor for unlearning? Try this old post:

A Visual Metaphor for Unlearning

Think Inside-Out the Box

Last year, I posed the question above. The most common answer is the one posted below. But if you really want to unlearn, I encourage you to keep searching for answers. The problem can actually be solved using only three lines. In fact, there is even a way to do it using only one line. (The quiz and the possibility for multiple answers is a wonderful metaphor for the idea that you should never stop searching for better solutions -- i.e. just because you "solved" a problem that doesn't imply you solved it in the best or most effective or efficient manner.)

The bottom-line? Unlearning doesn't just require you to think outside the box, you need to think inside-out the box. Hell, you must even question the idea that there needs to be a box!

The three line solution:

And the one line solutions:

The Truth About Halloween isn't So Scary

How many kids have been killed on Halloween by eating poisoned candy? The answer is zero. Let me repeat that: zero!

If you're like me, you probably grew up on tales of avoiding Pixie Sticks for fear some creepy old neighbor had laced the candy with strychnine. Or, perhaps, you avoided perfectly healthy apples for fear that a razor had been cleverly hidden inside by some psychopath. Both are urban myths -- complete and utter fabrication. The only kid ever poisoned on Halloween was poisoned by his own father. (From this perspective, it is ironic but true: Your own family poses a greater danger than strangers.)

So this Halloween try unlearning your fears and allowing your kids to once again run free and rule the night. It might seem dangerous but what is really dangerous is teaching our kids to live in a world where fear -- and not freedom -- rules.

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The Grass isn't Greener on the Other Side

 “You don’t understand something until you understand it more than one way.”

–Marvin Minsky

 

Question: Are there more words which begin with the letter “K” or which have “K” as their third letter?

With words such as kangaroo, kitchen and kite readily springing to mind it is easy to assume there are more words beginning with the letter. This is incorrect. Surprisingly, there are three times as many words with “K” as their third letter. The reason many people provide the wrong answer is because it is easy to think of words that begin with K.” It is far harder to conjure up words such as acknowledge, irksome, unknown and wake.

In this same way, it is easy to understand our own situation. It is more difficult to understand the plight of others. This bias is one reason why the grass often appears greener on the other side of the fence.

In fact, there is a scientific explanation for the “greener grass” phenomenon. From a person’s viewpoint atop a patch of grass it is easy to notice the bare spots. Just look down. When the grass in question is farther off in the distance, a person’s viewpoint will impose a slant on the grass and their angle will only enable them to observe the top blades of grass. (See image above.) The result is that bare spots remain obscured from their line of sight. Only as they draw nearer do the ugly blotches and spots become noticeable.

The same is true with other aspects of our lives. Obviously, a person has an up close view of the “bare spots” in their life—be it a lower balance in their checking account, mounting credit card debt, an aching back, family issues, etc. The view of a neighbor’s life—one who has a larger house, newer car, or perhaps a happier family—is more difficult to discern. Like spotting words with “K” as their third letter, it is trickier to assess their “bare spots”—be they in the form of the internal house repairs, larger car payments or well concealed dysfunctional family issues.

The problem runs deeper than misplaced envy. Many times people will feel as though their patch of grass is cursed. For example, have you ever noticed how the line you are standing in at the grocery store is always the slowest moving? Or perhaps you always select the slowest lane on the freeway. If you feel this way there is good news. You aren’t cursed. You simply notice such instances more often.

If you think about this for moment, this makes sense. Because you are waiting and since you don’t have much else to do in these situations it is easy to concentrate on those who don’t share your plight (i.e. the people in the quicker moving lanes). On the other hand when you are moving along you are less likely to consider your good fortune. Instead you just move ahead—oblivious to the envious glances of those poor souls in the slower moving lines and lanes.

All of this is not to deny that there are bald spots on your grass and that sometimes you have chosen the slow lane. The challenge, in such situations, is to view your situation from a new perspective.

Over the past few years a numbers of companies which have done exactly this. For instance, when Nintendo was getting beaten by Microsoft Xbox in the gaming industry they noticed a huge “bare spot” in their market demographics and decided to develop a new type of video console, the Wii, which could be played by anyone, including seniors. Today, the 55-65 year-old segment is their fastest growing market. Yellowtail, an Australian wine company, similarly recognized that many people were intimated by wine. They created and marketed a low-cost, quality wine that took the apprehension out of buying wine for many people who previously never purchased wine. In the process, they converted a “bare spot” into a lush green pasture of opportunity.

By unlearning the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side you will stop chasing an illusion. The extra time you save can then be used toward making the grass upon which you are standing greener.

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Think Outside the Box: Unlearn

Take the above quiz. If you can't figure it out, here's a hint: Think outside the box -- literally. 

(P.S. If you still can't figure it out, feel free to email me at jack@unlearning101.com and I will send you the answer.)

Risky is the New Safe

Question: Do more people die jaywalking or in the crosswalk?

The answer is the crosswalk. Why? Because people are lulled into a false sense of security. Due to existing rules, painted crosswalks and flashing signs, they don’t feel as compelled to pay attention to the actions of others. When jaywalking they are under no such illusion and remain vigilant and fleet-of-foot.

This lesson is appropriate for today’s business environment in two important ways. First, too many business leaders and organizations are lulled into complacency by tradition, existing rules and the power of the status quo. Like the white painted lines on a crosswalk, the protection of their market position or brand is often non-existent. Worse yet, much as the flashing lights and warning signs give false confidence to a pedestrian, the signal customers send businesses also offer illusionary protection against an accelerating future.

The problem, of course, is that by the time a person or organization realizes the danger they are in it is too late and they are run over.

Clayton Christensen in his excellent and now classic book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, provides numerous examples of industry leaders refusing to heed the oncoming sounds of new threats because they were so attuned to the needs of their best customers—customers who were primarily focused on incremental product improvements.

This purported safely approach (i.e. “the customer is never wrong”) left them vulnerable to new competitors who were willing to ignore existing rules and opted instead to jaywalk in the direction of those “risky” fringe customers or niche opportunities. Overtime, niches mature and the product capabilities which were initially only demanded by those on the fringe come to be seen as valuable to mainstream audiences. Unfortunately by the time this becomes evident to the existing players, it is too late. Think about how IBM was caught flat-footed by the personal computer in the 1980’s; large book retailers by the Internet in the 1990s; and the music industry by digitalization in the first decade of the 21^st century.

What’s next?

Industries destine to feel a similar affect in the future include the energy, gaming and manufacturing industries. Advances in nanotechnology are fueling startling advances in solar and fuel cell technology. These devices, many of which are now expensive and limited in capability, don’t appear to represent much of a threat today but as they improve they will create a vastly more decentralized energy distribution network and transform the energy paradigm. If existing leaders in the energy sector ignore these signs they will be run over. The same is true with how hand-gesture and 3-D technology will transform gaming culture, and advances in 3-D printing might lead to radical new manufacturing and supply chain distribution models.

What then is a person or organization to do? Jaywalk. That’s right. Break the rules. Doing so will not only make you more aware alert to the dangers around you, you may also chart a quicker path to future customers.

Remember unlearning is risky. What is risky is playing it safe.

If It Goes Without Saying ... Question it.

It is a curious phrase: It goes without saying.

If it really "goes without saying," should you need to say "it goes without saying"?

On a deeper level, though, I do believe it is worth exploring those things which truly "go without saying" in our relationships, in our workplace, and in our life. For example:

It may go without saying that we love our spouse or our children ... but they may still like to hear it.

It may go without saying that everyone in the office knows what the main goal is ... except for a key employee.

And it may go without saying that we really know ourself ... but then, again, we may not. 

I'm just sayin'...