7-9-10 Ah, Summertime!

I was talking to a teacher-friend of mine the other day. I asked what she had been doing with herself during the summer -- besides playing golf, of course. I learned that teachers don't necessarily get the summer off (at least not the good ones). Her reply was a two-fold answer. She is working a second, summer job. And she is going to school.

My first reaction was an internal confirmation that we don’t pay our public school teachers enough. They shouldn’t have to have a second job in order to make ends meet.

And my second reaction was “good for you”, going back to school. I found out that she does this every summer. She identifies new educational methodologies and then seeks out training on them. She said that way she can evaluate whether or not it would be something that she can incorporate into her own classroom.

And the kicker? This woman is a long-time teacher. She has been doing this for years and still she seeks out the new and innovative ways to teach and motivate her students.

Frankly, it is a good lesson for executives. Just because you have made it (finally!) to the executive ranks doesn’t give you license to sit back and coast. There is still plenty to learn about new ideas, processes, techniques, methodologies, etc. And if you aren’t learning in today’s business environment, you likely are going backwards. You can’t even tread water without some new knowledge.

Many of you will say “yeah, but I read all the new business books that come out”. I’m here to tell you that it ain’t enough. Take a class. Go to a seminar. Try something completely outside of your knowledge area. You never know when you will hit on a new concept that is exactly what your company or your organization needs.

Cheers!