If knowledge was a Maserati, is yours parked in the garage?

05 Oct

Over the years I have been on many courses and training sessions and have enjoyed some but not others.
Often I found that no matter how much I enjoyed the course, most of what I had learned was forgotten within 3 weeks.  Interestingly my colleagues felt the same way, we almost never used in our job what we learned on a course. 

According to psychologists, this is a well-known phenomenon and most of us follow the same path.  They recommend that we review and revise what we learn initially for just a few minutes per day then once per week and after 90 days it is ingrained. 
Now have you ever been told to follow a plan of revision to retain the knowledge? 

One can only wonder why organisations pay so much for training when there is no follow through that “bakes in” learning.  On one occasion, after a course, I was eager to try out the new approach I had just learned but was told by my superior that there was no need to change the way we did things.  How smart are we?

My point is that this is applicable to all education.   Learning is only effective if you are directly applying the new knowledge in a meaningful way.
I am always a little sceptical of long lists of accreditations on a resume.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what many people like to see.  Knowledge is great if you can use it and provide tangible outcomes for the better.

Some research indicates that up to a base point there was no correlation between higher education and success in work – in fact they even suggested a slightly negative correlation.  The notion of education leading to success really is about the ability to apply knowledge. 
The best way to determine ability and skills is in the output and performance of individuals in their work.

If we equate knowledge and accreditation to the metaphor of owning a Maserati, make sure the person is driving it, not letting it rust in the garage.