Kristen Cox about getting from knowledge to action
February 1, 2022
joel@finlinson.net
Kristen Cox• 1st
The world’s leading authority on how to apply TOC to governments and non-profits. Perhaps most well known for orchestrating a 35 percent improvement across Utah’s $20B executive branch.4h • Edited • 4 hours ago
Yesterday, my favorite aerobics class instructor suggested everyone listen to episode 181 of this podcast after our session. I’d never heard of it, but part way through the episode I had to stop and rewind (twice), when the host, Amber Brueseke, dropped this little piece of gold.
I knew precisely what she was saying, because I have seen this exact, same dynamic with my clients too many times to count.
There are certainly points in a #consulting or #training relationship (notably right up front) where we need to train our clients. They need to do something differently in order to get different results, and we need to show them what that looks like.
But then, there comes a time when the consultants/trainers fly back home, or the clients fly back from the #workshop, and it’s time for them to roll up their sleeves and execute on what they just learned.
I’ve certainly been there. I’m there now, in fact, with new skills I’m learning. It’s uncomfortable. We’re worried we might not get it right. We might take what Amber called “messy action” (in the same episode), and we’d prefer for everything we do to be polished and on-point. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves.
When we are in that position, it is so easy to invent smart-sounding ways to procrastinate.
One big way we do this is to schedule the next training. We tell ourselves we don’t have enough information, so let’s just hold off, let’s get a little more solid on this, and let’s wait until we do that next workshop 30-days from now.
My advice: take “messy action,” now, on what you’ve already learned.
It won’t be perfect. Our kids don’t back out of the driveway perfectly when they are learning how to drive. But go ahead and try. It’s okay. It’s needed, in fact. There are insights you will gain from taking uncertain, imperfect action that you need to have before you can get the most out of the next idea, the next training.
I knew precisely what she was saying, because I have seen this exact, same dynamic with my clients too many times to count.
There are certainly points in a #consulting or #training relationship (notably right up front) where we need to train our clients. They need to do something differently in order to get different results, and we need to show them what that looks like.
But then, there comes a time when the consultants/trainers fly back home, or the clients fly back from the #workshop, and it’s time for them to roll up their sleeves and execute on what they just learned.
I’ve certainly been there. I’m there now, in fact, with new skills I’m learning. It’s uncomfortable. We’re worried we might not get it right. We might take what Amber called “messy action” (in the same episode), and we’d prefer for everything we do to be polished and on-point. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves.
When we are in that position, it is so easy to invent smart-sounding ways to procrastinate.
One big way we do this is to schedule the next training. We tell ourselves we don’t have enough information, so let’s just hold off, let’s get a little more solid on this, and let’s wait until we do that next workshop 30-days from now.
My advice: take “messy action,” now, on what you’ve already learned.
It won’t be perfect. Our kids don’t back out of the driveway perfectly when they are learning how to drive. But go ahead and try. It’s okay. It’s needed, in fact. There are insights you will gain from taking uncertain, imperfect action that you need to have before you can get the most out of the next idea, the next training.
#AmberBrueseke
#Macros101
#BicepsAfterBabies
#MessyAction
#TakeMessyAction
#learning