World around us is changing fast. The only way to excel, or may be even survive in times like this, is to continuously learn.
When I reflect on times when I stopped or paused my learning, I observe two common themes:
I thought I know a lot about the subject
Or I got disheartened that it’s too tough and is beyond me
Thus, here’s the paradox of continuous of learning (adapting from Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline)
Here’s an example from my haiku writing journey. I started learning Haiku, the Japanese form of micro poetry, during COVID lockdown. It was an amazing way to do something creative when stuck at home.
As a I started the journey, I found (rather thought) that its very simple and wrote several haiku – which I later got to know were not haiku at all. I was ignorant, I thought I was good, but what I was writing was free text.
The first step for me in learning haiku was accepting that ‘I do not know and I am not good at writing haiku’.
Then came the stage where I found it very tough. I never seemed to get the words write or the difference between fragment and phrase (two essential parts of a haiku).
After reading for several months and learning from couple of haiku teachers, I gradually developed the confidence that I can learn.
I stayed on my continuous learning journey when I straddled this paradox!
Do you connect with it? Would love to hear your learning journey.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog.
I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’.
Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations.
On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on.
I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe.
On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions
I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
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