When we’ve been in an industry long enough, we begin to think that we know everything there is to know. We believe that, and in some cases rightfully so, that are existing expertise will carry us through. That is, until we inevitably hit roadblocks that leave us painfully aware of our intellectual shortcomings. Instead of assuming that we’ve got things under control, that we’ve covered all of our bases, that we know all that there is to know, we should maintain a sense of curiosity and wonder. We should ask questions, seek knowledge, and dare to know.
Douglas has run his business for the past 25 years and is self-assured that he knows his business as if it were the back of his hand. In his mind, it’s been the same for so long that it’ll never change. He’s had the same clients, he’s used the same platforms, and it’s all down to a logistical science for him. For Douglass, it’s all down to shortcuts that have made his workload a lot easier.
One day, Douglas returned to the office and learned that the majority of the platforms he used have updated to the point where the processes have changed beyond recognition. His old shortcuts wouldn’t work anymore, and everything looked incredibly different. Douglas’ stubborn nature regarding his familiarity to how things used to be are clouding his ability to get things done. Douglas doesn’t want to seem like an amateur regarding things he has known for years, and he decided he’s going to figure things out on his own.
Time passes, and a standard order that would normally have taken a few minutes has now taken a few hours. Douglas tries his best to sift through this new platform on his own, and it’s beginning to slow his whole business down. After some time and frustration, Douglas finally decides to call technical support regarding this new platform change, and the tech support individual is careful and concise explaining to Douglas where to find everything The support agent doesn’t treat him like a fool, and assures him that once he shows him how everything works that productivity will greatly increase.
In the end, Douglas embraced the new platform despite how much he hated it to begin with and learned something valuable: sometimes you can’t figure things out on your own, and other times the best solution to something is to take a moment to learn and listen. Not only did Douglas learn something new about the platforms he thought he knew for years, he also learned about himself and his ability to try new things with a little bit of assistance.