Adapted from Harvard Business Review, The Management Tip of the Day on January 1, 2015
To Learn Something New, Spend Time with Other Entities
The most innovative ideas often come from crossing boundaries. So if you want to learn new things this year, try spending time at other smart entities – even those outside of your industry. Learning directly from other entities is a useful, underutilized form of research for finding ways to improve performance. Venture out to see other entities or invite another organization to visit yours. By taking the time to visit other entities, you’ll have the chance to see how other organizations do their work and approach problem-solving. You’ll see how peers set goals, find ways of achieving them, and measure performance. Encouraging visits from other entities can also help connect you to possible future employees. It lets the frontline staff serve as tour guides, thereby honing their communication and presentation skills. And it shows off what you can do.
Adapted from “Learning New Things Means Getting Up From Your Desk” by Brad Power.