Growing beyond job descriptions, the surprising stories of everyday objects, and the mechanics of gamified learning. Whether it be in the office or on the airplane headed to our next program, we’re always talking about the issues and trends that are shaping the way we learn as well as what interests each of us on the team. Read more below.
Expand your lane
What if adhering too strictly to job descriptions is costing organizations big and sending their best employees elsewhere? That’s what this article in Inc argues occurs when leaders force employees to stay “in their lane” and restrict them to narrow roles, often misunderstanding employees’ silence, and unaware that they feel excluded. Instead, leaders should treat job descriptions as the ground level of employee performance and not the top floor. While we all need the clarity of focus that comes from a good job description, employees that feel the freedom to step out and realize something completely new at the right time can truly shine.
Everyday origins, surprising insights
How did the fork or the pencil become the essential objects we use today? This article lists the surprising stories behind each one. A few notables: the teabag was the result of customers misusing product packaging and complaining when it changed, the Post-it note was a failed adhesive experiment, and the credit card came from an embarrassed businessman who forgot his wallet. Read them all. They remind us how innovation and change are only a small inconvenience and brainstorm away.
Level up your learning curve
Gamified experiences can be engaging, fun, and informative. But why do our brains come alive with games in ways that go beyond just having fun? This article delves into the neuroscience behind the phenomenon, explaining that our minds evolved not to receive information “passively,” but actively, to “experiment, explore, and update” our understanding of the world. Playing games can tap into that mechanism in a safe way, releasing dopamine which creates anticipation for the next step and rewarding us with instant results, whether favorable or unfavorable. Games can compress the typically slower feedback loop of life and show meaningful progress in short periods. To take advantage of the game mentality for building new skills, think of these 5 tips:
– make failure feel safe
– build in points of progression
– add XP
– keep it slightly random
– “make it social”
So, start playing and see what new skills your brain can unlock. It was made to do it.