It was 30 years ago that I stood on the lawns of Henley Business School, England on graduation day for my Masters of Business Administration Degree. A very special day for a whole variety of reasons.
 
I return regularly to Henley, seldom a year passing without attendance for new learning. This year is no exception. I returned on a perfect late spring day, as you can see, looking across the same lawn.
 
It is always good to embrace the opportunity for new learning, so I took some time away from my busy schedule – the days away had long been booked in my calendar ensuring nothing else would take priority. I know how easy it is to have something come up and days are suddenly booked elsewhere. The opportunity missed.
 
One of the things I value most about these days is the wide variety of people who attend – people from different sectors, different roles, different nationalities. All adding diversity and colour to the discussions with their ‘take’ on things.
 
It was in one of the breakout sessions where a rich conversation developed, and ideas abounded, where I remembered and shared the concept of ‘learn, unlearn, relearn’, mentioned by the American author, Alvin Toffler, in his book Future Shock. This is a vital part of our own development; ideas do become obsolete and need to be replaced with changed thinking and actions. All too often old ideas are clung onto when their value has passed. Some of the lesson from my MBA have required dismissing or updating…plus there is host of new material.
 
Following the days at Henley I looked up the precise quotation – it took a little while to find. It has become widely miss-quoted and embellished. I was keen to get back to the original source, as it was probably also 30 years since I had read Toffler’s book!
 
The actual quotation is:

'By instructing students how to learn, unlearn and relearn, a powerful new dimension can be added to education’

(Toffler, 1970, p375; Pan Edition, 1971)

Interestingly, Toffler then goes on to quote Herbert Gerjuoy of the Human Resources Research Organisation:

‘Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who has not learned how to learn.’

Certainly, remaining curious and open to new ideas is one of the pleasures of developing with the times; challenging one’s thinking to make sure it still has currency, or needs changing. At times it is all too easy to remain fixed in our thinking when a more flexible approach will reap benefits. Often this comes through conversation, meeting new people, people who have a different perspective, as mentioned above. This can develop our flexibility, or, as Carol S. Dwek refers to in her book Mindset, a ‘Growth Mindset’.
 
Taking time out to look at new things and reappraise some of the old things can have a profound effect on what will be done when we resurface; hopefully new learning and new perspectives will play a useful part in making changes with our work, our wider lives too.
 
I would encourage you to take time to immerse yourself in some learning with people who are not part of your ‘business as usual’.
 
My best wishes,
 
Peter