Ben joined StorMan Software in 2002 and is now StorMan's Australian General Manager.
Title: My knowledge wall
Date: 4th August 2008
Hi all. Recently, I was sitting here wondering if I could apply my first rule of change to my life, that is “for things to change, things must first change”, and found myself wondering what I could do next to initiate some sort of change in my life - both personally and professionally.
So I looked back and found that I really used to enjoy rock climbing. I know that some of you who know me now would look at me and say “you are too heavy Ben!” but like all things, that can change. So I decided to join a rock climbing gym and hey presto ...3 weeks later I am now getting back into shape. And it came to me (whilst hanging off a rock).
You see, sometimes I take what I am doing to be the “be all and end all” of what I am doing. In other words, I feel that I am operating at the best that I can. However, I am continually amazed that whenever I change something, I find that I can do it better or faster.
Sometimes you just have to look at what you are doing (and the way you are doing it), and it will initiate change, because you have changed the way you think about it. So there I was, hanging off the rock wall, when it occurred to me that I had to fill-in blanks in my “knowledge wall”. What’s a knowledge wall? Let me explain...
Since I hadn’t rock climbed in over three years, I found that I had to “relearn” my climbing technique – and when I say relearn, I mean that there were gaps in my knowledge wall. Think of everything you know about a topic - such as how to climb, or how to run a Storage Facility - and think of it as a wall. If there are some bits that you don’t know (or can’t remember) then you are missing “bricks” that make up that knowledge wall.
Like anything, if there are too many “bricks” missing, then your wall becomes shaky and cannot support the weight of the rest of the structure. So there I was, thinking that even though I knew what I had to do, I had to receive a refresher course on how to do it. This got me to thinking about training for StorMan and I realised that there might be many of you out there who are missing “bricks” in your knowledge wall.
So to that end, I am extending an invitation to all of you bloggers to send me an email (via training@storman.com) to tell me what you think your missing “bricks” are. This could be as simple as wanting a refresher in version 7, a complete “What’s changed in version 7?” or a complex “how do I do this?”.
Remember - while you may know what you need to get you through your day, training allows you to do it the right way. More importantly - as I found when climbing- the most efficient way. Some of you might say “...well so long as it gets done who cares?”, but let’s take climbing as an example. I am looking for the most efficient way of getting to the top of the climb. Why? Well if I run out of puff half way through, then in real life I am going to be stuck on the side of a cliff with nowhere to go except down. So I need to hone my skills to ensure I put the right effort in at the right time and make it to the top. In other words I need to be efficient or “fit” in order to achieve my goals.
Can I make a suggestion to all of you... get StorMan “fit” now (in time for summer) and send me an email about what you would like to see in our weekly newsletters, knowledgebase or training courses - because your skills will only change if you decide to change them.
Once you have decided to initiate the change, then StorMan have a number of training options. You can do “live” training in our virtual online classroom, you can come into the office here in sunny Brisbane (great in winter I might add) or I can come to you and your staff. Whatever you would like to do, I am very keen to help you get in shape for summer so make good use of the ‘Advantage’ or ‘Corporate’ support-plan discount we provide on training, and rebuild your knowledge wall today!
Cya on the rock and around the country; bye for now.
Regards,
Ben.
