How to improve learning skills

I truly think that the major fault with most business people is that they don’t get a real education in what makes people go ‘ooooh!’ and then keep thinking it’s a good thing to tell people.

You can’t go around telling people what they should be doing. Just saying “You should be doing x” is patronizing and worse it doesn’t work. People need direction and encouragement.

We all learn differently. Many of us are good at reading and writing mathematical terms. We tend to focus on these things.

When you take a look at who are the top musicians, artists, and writers you realize that many of them don’t follow the traditional education system. They are creative by nature. They develop their own style and use a multitude of different techniques to accomplish their goals. They’re not strictly going to a ‘good school’ and receiving the right ‘standard’ of education. In fact, it might be better to say that their training and practice gave them their own style and ability to concentrate on a particular area of study that was good for them.

The most successful creative people are often self-taught.

If you are going to be an entrepreneur or looking to set up a business of your own, I highly recommend you get the help of a business mentor and a top business school (or maybe the University of Google?).

The challenges to learning

However, the main problem is that education is usually expensive. In many cases, it’s simply not a viable option for most people. You can’t go and buy a little book or two and have a few hours to teach yourself the skills you need to do the job. This can be quite disheartening for the young.

You can’t always assume that getting that business degree is going to make your life easier (though that’s often what people do). Sure, it might help with obtaining a job, but it can actually hinder your chances. Being a proficient business person means you need to understand how different businesses work. You need to know how to speak the language of people in the business. It means you have to know how people make decisions, how to analyze people, and form proper teams. Not having a degree will definitely hurt your chances.

The second issue with education is that it is generally seen as ‘sophistication’. The concept of ‘learning in an age of apathy’ exists. Young people are often impatient with tedious and pointless learning processes. They want to be working immediately with tangible results. It’s like telling them to learn patience.

You have to find the time. I can’t go and read a university textbook every day if I want to run my business. I have to juggle different businesses. I have to have time to explore other ways to learn and grow.

The value of extra ‘education’

If you have extra time in your schedule, you could consider getting some online or some ‘extra’ education. You could pay for one or two courses online or you could join an organization that offers training sessions to companies, or with specific industries.