Unlearning 101

The Fog of Unlearning

I am in Iowa to deliver a keynote presentation (entitled "Why Future Trends in Healthcare Will Require Unlearning") to the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative today.

After working on my presentation early this morning, I decided to go for a walk at sunrise. The photo to the right offers a view of what I saw.

As I stared at the pool of fog in the distance, it occurred to me that I was also standing in fog--I just couldn't see it clearly.

It then dawned on me that it is always easier to see when someone else is enveloped in a fog; it's far more difficult to comprehend that you are also in the thick of it.

One key to unlearning is to begin to appreciate--whether you realize it or not--that we are all in a fog.

Why I Can Still Smile After Making a $25,000 Mistake (Really)

Let me begin by admitting that it is not easy to smile after losing $25,000. At 3p.m. today, I should be addressing a senior group of utility executives who are part of IBM’s Global Intelligent  “Smart Grid” Network in Campinas, Brazil.

Unfortunately, because I failed to secure the necessary visa application I was not allowed to fly into the country. The result: I lost $25,000. More important, I also missed an extraordinary opportunity to share important new information on emerging trends and business models with leaders from a dozen of the world’s largest utilities.  (And, for this, I’m truly sorry and sincerely apologize to the executives who traveled to Brazil to hear me speak as well as my sponsors at IBM—whose trust I failed.)

So how can any of this possibly make me smile?

Again, I want to reiterate, it isn’t easy and I am certainly not smiling about wasting the attendee’s time or betraying the client’s trust in me.

The money, however, is another thing.

First, money isn’t everything. I always tell my children this and many of us hear other people say the same thing all the time. Yet, when push comes to shove, and we actually lose money we often act as though “money is the only thing.”

After first realizing my mistake, I felt the same way and I couldn’t stop thinking about my financial loss. (I know many of you won’t feel sorry for someone who makes $25,000 for delivering a lecture—and I don’t expect you to—but understand that while I will survive this loss of income, it does reflect a sizeable percentage of my annual income). Upon reflection, though, I decided to take my own “unlearning” advice and contemplate ways to turn a problem into an opportunity.

For starters, as I flew home, I realized many people aren’t nearly as fortunate as me. For example, all across the country millions of Americans are “underwater” with their home mortgages and, in my neighboring state of North Dakota, many people’s homes are literally under water because of the recent flooding.

Lesson #1: In the grand scheme of things, I’m a lucky guy. It shouldn’t take a setback to remember this simple fact but, unfortunately, sometimes it does.

Second, after realizing my mistake, I attempted to do everything in my power to secure a visa from the Brazilian consulate in Atlanta. I contacted everyone I knew who could help and, to a person, each one dropped everything they were doing on a Sunday afternoon to help.

My friends at the Marshall Foundation, Brian Shaw and Rick Drake, reached out to contacts at the State Department as well as business contacts in Atlanta. An acquaintance at IBM, Ann Cramer, emailed me back from an airplane and directed her staff to do everything in their power to help me; as did another friend, Steve Chazen, who lives in neighboring Birmingham.

I suspect their efforts (as well as the work of the staff of U.S. Senator Amy Klobucher, who also promptly offered assistance) would have succeeded in securing me a rush visa but, alas, the client had to cancel my session because they couldn’t adjust their schedule to accommodate my mistake. I therefore had to return home.

Lesson # 2: True friends rise to the occasion and the best ones do so when you’re really down on your luck.

Third, the event offered me an opportunity to accept responsibility. After first being told I didn’t have the necessary paperwork, I took the cowardly route and sought to pin this mistake on anyone but myself. I mentally cast aspersions on the client and my speakers’ bureau—thinking “Someone should have told me!” or “They should have been clearer!” But, at the end of the day, the responsibility rested with me. No excuses.

Lesson #3: Accepting responsibility can be painful but once you do it, the only positive action to be taken is to learn from the experience so that it might never happen again. (Believe me, I have learned my lesson).

Finally, as I flew home from Atlanta to Minneapolis last evening with my tail planted firmly between my legs, I realized the plane was flying with the setting sun. As I stared out the window, I was greeted with the equivalent of an extended, one-hour sunset. It was then that I began to reflect on the positive aspects of this negative situation.

And you know what? I gained an invaluable opportunity to think about my life, friends and responsibility. What can be more valuable than that?

Actually, one thing: Family.

As a result of my mistake, I now have four unexpected days to spend with my wife and two children. With this windfall, I intend to plant a rose bush in my wife’s garden later this morning; go running with my daughter this afternoon; and watch my son play in a baseball game this evening.

The Final, and Most Important, Lesson: Money can’t buy true happiness or time, and nothing is more important than family.

My only hope is that you don’t need to lose even a penny to be reminded of this obvious lesson.

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Change Your Situation? Change Your Answer to This Question.

 

A Sip of Reality

"What's reality?" asked the student.

The traveler didn't answer. He said only, "Go to the stream and fetch a bucket of water."

The student did as instructed.

"Now grab a cup of water from the bucket and take a sip."

The student again did as instructed. The water was cool and provided refreshment. "Aah, so this is reality."

"No," replied the traveler.

The student looked perplexed.

"Where did the water come from?"

"The bucket?" responded the student.

"You are closer to the truth," replied the traveler. "The bucket of water offers a better picture of reality but it is incomplete and stagnant."

"Aah, so the stream represents reality," said the student excitedly.

"Closer," said the traveler, "but if you were to go back to the stream it would be different because a stream is always flowing."

"Just as reality is constantly flowing and changing," replied the student in a knowing tone.

"No," said the traveler. "Your understanding of reality is still incomplete."

"How so?"

"Because the stream comes from the snows on the mountain and flows into a river. And from the river the water flows into a larger ocean only to evaporate and turn back into rain and snow. So it is with reality. We may sip freely from various fountains of reality but we must always remember that ours is really an incomplete --and, likely, stagnant--picture."

Other related poems by Jack Uldrich

A Glimmer of Truth

The Tree of Unlearning

The Steep Unlearning Curve

Listen and Unlearn

If you had the chance to listen to one of the world's best violinists for free, would you? Probably not if he or she were playing in a subway station. A few years ago Joshua Bell, one of the world's top violinists, played for over three hours in a subway station in Washington, D.C. He collectedly only $32.17.

Why? Because most people weren't listening with their ears, they were listening to their minds and their minds told them that anyone playing in a subway station couldn't possibly be that good. I encourage you to watch the 3-minute video below. Afterwards, you might want to ask yourself, what else aren't you hearing?

Dead Men Don't Unlearn

I know a few people who don't wear seat belts. Normally, as someone with libertarian leanings, I wouldn't have a problem with this. (This would almost certainly be the case if society weren't also required to pay for their treatment after they have been in an accident)

My problem stems from those individuals who cite, as a rationale for their decision, stories of people who have lived after being thrown through a windshield. Their conclusion is that a seat belt might somehow similarly prevent them from escaping death after a bad accident. In short, they use the stories of these survivors as justification for their decision.

I will admit that, while rare, such events do occur and people can occasionally be saved by being thrown through a windshield. What my friends who espouse this line of thinking miss is that there are literally thousands of people who died precisely because they were thrown into or through a windshield. 

Dead men don't talk so it is only natural that we will only hear the stories of those rare few who were fortunate enough to survive.

An element of unlearning us to see what we can't see and hear what we can't hear. This is hard to do but if you listen closely you might just hear the lesson of unlearning in the whispers of the thousands who didn't live to tell the tale of their encounter with the windshield.

If I haven't been clear enough, I encourage you to buckle up. If you need a little inspiration, just watch this short but powerful video.

Let It Go

I have two children -- ages 9 and 11. I love them dearly but they have been known to not play so nicely with one another on occasion. What I find really fascinating is how they can be at each other's throat one minute and then playing peacefully together the next minute.

They have mastered the art of letting go. They don't hold grudges.

As we get older, I think we unlearn this habit and it isn't healthy. As example, I'd like to ask you to grab a pen. Now squeeze it as tightly as you can for a minute. At the end of the minute slowly begin to loosen your grip. It feels wonderful, doesn't it?

The real question, of course, is this: What else in your life are you holding on to? Are you squeezing on to a prized, physical possession (e.g. a car or a house); a personal relationship; or even an idea about yourself?

Now, think about letting that object go. Is it really as important or vital as you think it is? What would happen if you now really let it go?

The answer might surprise you because it could result in greater happiness.

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Into the Unknown: A Historical Metaphor

In 2004, I wrote the book Into the Unknown: Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark’s Daring Westward Expedition. One of my favorite stories—because it has so much relevance for today’s business leaders —occurred in early June 1805.

On June 2, 1805, Lewis and Clark approached a fork in the Missouri River. During their consultations with the Indians the previous winter nothing had been mentioned of this second river. It was, however, critical that the Corps of Discovery follow the true Missouri River. If they didn’t, they were unlikely to reach and then successfully pass over the Rocky Mountains before winter. This setback would have jeopardized the entire mission.

Lewis and Clark split their team up and sent one group up the north river and a second group down the south river. After three days, both teams returned and were still unsure as to which river was the true Missouri.

Lewis and Clark being the good leaders that they were then split up. Meriwether Lewis traveled north and William Clark went south. After a few days the two men returned and they still weren’t sure.

While they were away something very interesting occurred. All 30 members of the team determined that the north river was the true Missouri. They reached this decision the following way: For the past year, the Corps of Discovery had been traveling up the Missouri River and the water was “warm, slow, muddy and brown.” The water of the north river was also “warm, slow, muddy and brown,” therefore they reasoned it was the true Missouri. It is the equivalent of saying that “Tomorrow is going to be pretty much like yesterday.”

Lewis and Clark conferred among themselves and reached a far different conclusion. In the face of complete opposition, they announced the south river was the true Missouri. They reasoned as follows: At some point the snow from the mountains needed to melt and when it did it would create a river that was cold, fast and clear.” Those characteristics matched the south river and, as history demonstrated, the two captains made the correct decision.

My point is this: Many, if not most, people think that “tomorrow will be pretty much like yesterday.” From my perch as a professional futurist, I see the trends in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, RFID, social networking and robotics (to name but a few) are accelerating and I know that tomorrow is going to be radically different then either yesterday or today—and we need more leaders with the courage to unlearn their old ways and, instead, chart a new course into the unknown.

Evidence of Unlearning

 "The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." --Carl Sagan

I love the above quote. It may take a little time to process its meaning but if you can--and, more important, if you can really takes it message to heart--you will have taken a big step down the path of unlearning.

To better understand, consider this story from Anthony de Mello:

When a man whose marriage was in trouble sought his advice, the Master said, "You must learn to listen to your wife."

The man took his advice to heart and returned after a month to say that he had learned to listen to every word his wife was saying.

Said the Master with a smile, "Now go home and listen to every word she isn't saying."

For another example, consider almost any news article you read. After you are done, examine the article for what wasn't said.

Searching for things that aren't there and listening to people for things they don't say, is difficult; but if you can develop these skills you will come to see the world more clearly. The evidence is all around us.

The Wisdom of The Phantom Tollbooth

 I have just finished reading Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth with my eight year-old son and have decided that along with Shel Silverstein's poem "Smart," it should be required reading for any young person interested in unlearning.

Below are a few of my favorite passages:

At one point Alec hands Milo a special telescope as a gift. What makes the telescope so special is that "you can see things as they really are, not just as they seem to be." (For a real world example, see this old post.)

While on the "Island of Conclusions," Canby admonishes Milo not to jump to conclusions so quickly by saying, "You can never jump away from Conclusions. Getting back is not so easy. That's why we're so terribly crowded here."

Later in his journey, Milo encounters Dodecahedron on his way to Infinity and the guest advises Milo "that the best way to get from one place to another is to erase everything and begin again."

After Milo rescues Rhyme and Reason, Reason tells Milo that "You must never feel badly about making mistakes ... as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons." (See Unlearning Failure.)

Finally, after Milo saved the day, only then he did he, Tock and the Humbug realize they had accomplished the "completely impossible."  But, as King Azaz says, "if we'd told you then, you might not have gone -- and, as you've discovered, so many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible."

All the passages offer great advice and, my advice -- especially if you have a young child -- is to read the Phantom Tollbooth.

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Big Problems Don't Always Require Big Fixes

Big problems such as health care, feeding the world and addressing climate change don't necessarily require big solutions. In the 19th century, Ignaz Semmelweis helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of women by getting doctors to wash their hands prior to assisting in the delivery of a new-born child. (Unfortunately, however, it still required the medical community nearly two decades to unlearn their stubborn and unhealthy habits.)   

Alas, in the 21st century, the number of infections in hospitals remains unacceptably high. Why? Many healthcare professionals still aren't employing good hygiene. If they were better at the simple act of washing their hands, the results would be impressive -- on the order of saving thousands of lives annually and preventing billions of dollars in unnecessary costs.

In the field of agriculture, it was the addition of ammonium nitrate -- a cheap but effective crop fertilizer -- which allowed the world's farmers to feed billions more people with the same land.

Continued advances in the field of genomics may also continue to increase the yield of corn, wheat and rice by making these crops more efficient in terms of how they utilize water and fertilizer. The result: More people can be fed using the same amount of land but with less impact on the environment. 

In the automotive industry, it was the installation of the seat belt that saved the lives of thousands of motorists -- even though the device was at first ridiculed as "inconvenient, costly, and just a bunch of damn nonsense" by auto executives. The next life-saving advance could be the introduction of super-strong, super-light nanomaterials.

As strange as it may sound, the problem of hurricanes may also just need a simple fix. As Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner outline in their delightful new book, Super Freakonomics, in may be possible to prevent costly hurricanes (which, since 2005, have inflicted an estimated $153 billion in damage to the United States alone) by deploying a few thousand "hydraulic heads" in those areas where hurricanes start. The devices work by bringing cooler water from the bottom of the ocean to the top thus cooling the surface temperature of the ocean water and preventing hurricanes from forming in the first place. The estimated cost: $1 billion. 

On the bigger problem of climate change, Levitt and Dubner also outline the logic behind "Budyko's Blanket" -- a super high hose which would spew sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere -- which could theoretically cool the planet for a mere $250 million.

Now, to be fair, both the "hydraulic heads" and "Budyko Blanket" may not work and serious questions remain on both ideas. But the broader point is that when faced with big problems there is absolutely no reason why we must first look to "big answers" as the solution. Often, big problems can be solved with small solutions. After all, as a child, how many of your cuts and bruises were solved with a tender kiss from your mother?