Never Stop Learning

Do you remember when you first started your career?  All the training, learning new concepts, and time you put into being proficient as quickly as you could?  I honestly forgot until I was asked to write this article. First, I thought about the time I put into learning the WZ Method, from writing out the script to practicing it out loud in my truck, shower, and office.  Then recording myself practicing the script repeatedly until I felt ready to conduct my first interview. Somehow, someway, I am entering my 30th year here at WZ.  From the youngest kid they ever hired to now the longest-tenured instructor we have ever had.  We have hired some fantastic talent with great ideas that involve changing the way we conduct interviews and teaching others to be better interviewers.  When I started seeing these changes (which by the way, I completely agree with) I had a moment of clarity, “Oh crap, I have to relearn how I conduct interviews and teach a seminar.”

“How can I change something I’ve been doing for 30 years?”

That started the pity party for a brief minute.  “How can I change something I’ve been doing for 30 years? Can I do it? Do I want to do it?” My quick answer is yes, of course I do.  But I am not sure I can learn as quickly as I did way back in the day, which worried me. I started thinking about how I learned so many years ago, and it became apparent to me that what has become natural for me as an interviewer and instructor wasn’t natural at all.  It took effort to learn the processes and material like it was the back of my hand.  All the time I put in is what made my career a success, and to stay successful I realize I need to put the time and effort into learning this new methodology.

“Put the time and effort into learning to stay successful.”

As WZ rolls out new techniques and philosophies, those who have been interviewing for a while might be hesitant to make adaptations knowing their way has always worked for them the way it is. But trust us, the changes WZ is making are for the advancement of the profession and will make us all the better at what we do.  Dave Thompson has a quote on his office wall (I think it’s intended as a reminder for Shane Sturman and me), “You can’t steal second base if your foot is always on first.” Time to get off first and go back to the basics of learning. If we all put the time in that we did when we first started in our careers, we can learn new things and never hear the quote, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”