The Learning network:

As you learn, the network learns with you.

Do you have a project for self improvement that you keep delaying? Do you have problems with prioritization of time and keeping to your own goals? If so, you might want to consider the Learning Network.

What have transpired (Learning Network Dairy):

Introducing the Short Sprint (15/4/17, Zhengzhou)

How it works (the mechanism):

Group size : at least two people. Recommended upper limit is 10.
Time : Regular interval with fixed timing, like a weekly schedule.
Duration : Not more than 4 hours. It should include a period of intensive work session and a short, 30-minute debrief.
Venue : Anywhere which you can sit for long hours, with the facilities to use your equipment and focus on your work. Somewhere with accessible coffee recommended.

Projects requirement:
1.The project must be personally meaningful to the individual. It should not be something that is imposed on the member like a job. This is to ensure that the motivation for the learning process comes from an internal source.

2.The project must have a deliverable. To measure progress, and allow it to be monitored by other members, the project must have concrete and visible goals and outcome that can be easily measured and accounted for.

3.Although it is not required, we recommend that the project be part of a larger learning trajectory. We understand that sometimes people are still exploring what they are learning or what they should be working on, but the learning process is more effective with a clear overall direction.

Process:
1.Before each session to meet for work, members will declare their goal for the session to the group, in terms of simple, clear and concrete outcomes.

2.Members convene at the designated time and place and begin the work session to work on their projects.

3.At the end of the designated work period, members announce their results to the group and the group enter the debrief session. It is important to note the debrief session is vital to the learning process.

4.During the debrief session, each member go through their results and reflect on whether they’ve achieved their stated goals. If a member misses the goal by too much, he is given the opportunity to reflect upon the reasons (Was he too ambitious with his goals? Did he underestimate the work required? Did he overestimate his own capabilities?). Similarly, if a member achieves more than the declared goals, he is also given the opportunity to reflect upon the reasons (Was he too cautious with his goals? Was he pushing his own limits enough? Did he underestimate his own capabilities?). (Further explanation of this mechanic is available below)

5.Each member, if necessary, is given the opportunity to state how he intends to modify his goals for the next session.

How else can it work (supplementary mechanism):

Short Sprint:
1. Member identifies a goal and a continuous period of time to work on the goal.
2. The member approach other members or the whole group to take his/her declaration.
3. Member declares intended results and investment of time to the group or members who agreed to take declaration.
4. As member work on his/her project, the group or ones taking the declaration will take time to check in on the progress of the project.
5. Once the time is up, the members or group will hear the debrief from the member working on the project about the results and celebrate whatever results achieved.

What it is not:

1.It is not a tea party. If members want to take the opportunity to catch up, do it before the work session or after the debrief session. Once the time for work session begin, members should begin on their own work immediately.

2.It is not a teaching session. Each member has his own project to work on. So this is not a tuition session where you get couching from another member. It is fine to have quick exchange and sharing of resource and information, but each member should on the whole focus on his own projects.

3.It is not a “catch up with my work” session. Although your project can be work related, we should try not to turn this into another work day. Leave the day-to-day to some other time. This is about your long term improvement.

4.This is not a competition. We are running together towards our respective goals. We are here to cheer each other along, not to see who gets there first.

note

When you join a learning network, you are committed to the improvement of the members in your group, so here are a few things to note:

1.Respect each other’s project. When we bring our projects to the table, they are personally meaningful to us. This is not a platform for us to impose our views on others by judging their projects or goals. We are here to support each other in achieving the goals we set for ourselves. This is the number one rule of the learning network and is the only rule which might result in an expulsion from the group.

2.The only purpose of this Network is to facilitate self-improvement, as perceived by each individual members, by learning. There is no other purpose.

3.The network is constantly evolving. As new members join and old members leave, the network will learn to adapt to its members. We should keep an open mind about changes, as long as the mandate of the network, which is to facilitate self-improvement and learning, remains intact.

4.This is an inclusive group. Anyone with a desire to improve themselves and can articulate their goals are welcome to join. If two members have personal issues with each other, we encourage the members to work out a method to accommodate each other. (Perhaps work at different tables).

5.Everyone is a leader in the group. We encourage members to take initiative to do things which support the learning goals of all the members.

6.We only set our own goals. We provide feedback and opinions to other members of the group when asked, otherwise we only hold them to the goals they declare for themselves.

5. For this mechanism to serve us best, it is important that this is developed into a habit. We cannot stop members from coming and going as they please, but we encourage members to keep to a certain regularity and punctuality.

Why it works (the reasoning)

The learning network utilizes the power of declaration and peer pressure. Declaring something by verbalizing it and putting it down in text is an act of creation. A goal has no physical form and thus no reality until it is verbalized and shared with another person. The very act of declaration crystallize our purpose and focus our attention and efforts in achieving the declared goals. It also helps to prevent the common backsliding technique of “shoot first, and then draw the target later”. Furthermore, by the virtue of needing to communicate our goals to another person, and setting concrete goals, we get an opportunity to clarify our goals, and understand what ultimate drives our learning. Without declaration, we fall prey easily to common weaknesses such as:
– procrastination (due to the lack of a committed time frame)
-shifting goalpost (we move our goals all the time, resulting in either frustration due to the sense of always not achieving enough, or complacency by drawing our target around where we shot)
– Giving up (without a declared goal, no one can hold us to our promise except ourselves, and if we break promise to ourselves once too many time, we start to loose confidence in ourselves, which is a very bad thing.)

The learning network also utilizes the power of the group. Group is powerful because humans are social being. By creating a social norm with a group of people who are working to improve themselves, we create an environment where behaviors and methods conducive to learning becomes a behavioral norm and is adopted by members of the group. It is important for the members of the Learning Network to be aware of the power of the group and consciously utilize it to drive us towards our own learning goals, and not feel restricted or pressured by it.

Also built in the mechanism of the Learning Network is the mechanism of Review. Reviewing, with a dispassionate mindset, helps us to learn about our own learning style and the scope of our projects. It also allow us to have a clearer view of our ambitions and capabilities. It can be said that Reviewing is part of the learning process in all learning project. Reviewing also allows us to build a healthy relationship with failure and success, which are both essentially the same thing: results. By putting one result into perspective, reviewing allows us to continue to push forward to our final goals by getting result after result.

Finally, the learning network utilizes the power of habits. In order for a set of behavior to truly take effect, it is mandatory that it is made into a habit. That is why the work sessions need to be conducted regularly and members are encourage to take part in it regularly. A habit turns a conscious effort into an effortless subconscious action. When learning and its methods become subconscious, we will become that much more effective in achieving our other goals.

An explanation on why underachieving and overachieving are both not healthy.

It is perhaps easier to understand why underachieving, I.e. not reaching your goal is not good. Nonetheless, many people’s response to underachieving is an emotional one, for it reminds people of a “failure” and is thus associated with shame. If we look at underachieving dispassionately, we realize that it reveals certain facts about our learning process. First, it reveals that the person doesn’t have a clear grasp of the scope of the project at hand. This by itself is not a bad thing, for sometimes the person is simply new to the project and therefore inexperience about it. This however, means that the person needs to manage his expectation and pace of the project. Secondly, it might also means that the person doesn’t have a clear understanding of his own capabilities, resulting in bad estimation. By missing the goals, the person should review his own capabilities and adjust his expectation accordingly. Thirdly, it reveals that the person is usually ambitious. This is in and by itself not a bad thing, but it’s something the learner needs to know in order to manage his own learning process.

Overachieving usually brings a sense of satisfaction, but this is an emotional response that can mask the real problem, for overachieving reveals the same problems as underachieving (lack of understanding of the scope of project, lack of understanding of own strength), but are less obvious. It also points to insufficient efforts to push one’s boundaries, and thus a limited potential to grow.

A healthy goal setting habits is to stretch your boundary yet set yourself up to win. It is a fine balance that once achieve will bring you a real sense of achievement and satisfaction that is based on your inner sense of worthiness.