Are you your own CLO?
A quote from Henry Ford and also in different words from Albert Einstein. Two human beings who definitely were a CLO in their own lives.
Two guys whose skills and mind, we envy. They probably learned on a daily basis and had therefore lives filled with growth. But as with everything, it takes time and effort.
So, why would you want to be a CLO? If you haven’t figured out what CLO stands for, just keep reading.
Well, this is the place where I explain to you that the world is changing in a fast pace, that the world is unpredictable and chaotic.
But…
You know that by now. Everybody knows about that by now. But what are you and me, doing about it? Are you ready for change? Is your child ready for change? How self directed, self aware, self motivated, and driven for growth are you? Have you been taking your personal growth and time for granted?
Let’s see how many times you say ‘YES’ to the following questions. But before we start, answer this one first:
Do you want to be a Chief Learning Officer?
Yes?
Here we go.
1. Are you still foolish?
A Chief learning officer asks questions from a childlike perspective. Because he or she really wants to understand or know something. In Japan they refer to this with ‘beginners mind’, or as they say in Korea, the Not-Know mind.
Imagine that you do not know the answer, with what intention are you asking questions? For example: person ‘A’ asks person ‘B’ a question, but person ‘A’ already has an answer in mind, and wants to check if person B is capable enough to know the answer. This is not a sincere or true curious question. It’s asking for checking or testing. This is what we are trained to do for many years in education.
If you want to be your personal CLO, you have to go back to childlike curiosity.
Or like Steve Jobs once said in his famous Stanford Speech: “Stay foolish”.
“Ask curious questions. Questions which you don’t know the answer to”
2. Are you still alive?
You are reading this, so I can assume that you are still breathing. That also means that you experienced ups and downs in your life. I hope that I am allowed to make this assumption.
Everything we experience in life is data to grow. Despite the circumstances, which can be hard, sad, happy, or crazy. Lessons are in everything that we encounter. It is up to us, on how to perceive the data.
Sometimes you experience similar experiences. Some things happens more than once and throw you in a similar situation. This could mean that either people or the universe is telling you that you need to learn from this. Take the data and ask yourself the question: “What do I need to take out of this situation?”
When a situation is hard it gives you data to grow. Like Nietzsche said in one of his famous quotes:
For the ones who still, despite all the motivation and inspiration talks, need to understand the importance of the failures or hard times in your life, watch Denzel Washington:
“Use everything you experience as data to grow. Choose to grow out of it, instead of, go out of it”
3. Are you still motivated
As a CLO I need to have a M.O. For those who know crime and police series on TV know about the search for the MO of the guy. What is your Modus Operandi? Your daily habits. Or how I like to call it.
What is your Massive Obsession. Your personal M.O. that fires you up every day. The good and the bad ones. Your massive obsession will keep you up and awake. And most certainly, it will keep you going/growing.
8 gold medals at the olympics. Rigorous programs of training. Many years of dedication and only 0.01 difference between the number 1 en 2.
One guy with an amazing MO. Michael Phelps trained harder, longer, and more than any other swimmer.
So do you have a great M.O.? Are you still foolish? Are you still breathing?
To achieve great things, you have to be greatly motivated. If you want to walk amongst the great, you need to work, and for the work you need your M.O..
“Have a great Massive Obsession to do your daily work”
This is the time to share these traits with the world around you. More specifically with the next generation. We can walk around the bush, but eventually we need to pass the baton to the next generation. Have we done our part and created a solid stage for the next generation to step on?
We, at The Stage, guide, equip and provide the next generation with everything we know. Authentic knowledge, skills and attitude from the current generation, put together in a way so that every individual can be his/her own CLO.
Many children and people learn new things in a self directed way. At ‘The Stage’ we provide those who are foolish, motivated and still alive with support in creating your personal overview and portfolio based on meta skills and the things that make you, ‘you’.
Please subscribe here if you want to set the stage with us for the next generation. A full generation of CLO’s, is in the making. Are you, and is your child going to be one of them?
