Learning and Growing by Hazel Coupe

Learning and Growing by Hazel Coupe Foreword by Ian Kinnery

This week Thursday’s Thoughts takes on a new format. I have been writing weekly pieces for several years now in the hope that my thoughts will provide inspiration and meaning for the readers. One of the major delights in my role is seeing others learn new things and begin to perform and think at a higher level. When Hazel, my excellent business manager and wingman (lady) had an Aha! moment last week we thought that others might benefit from her learnings. She has stretched her comfort zone to write the following. I hope you can learn from her experiences. Thank you Hazel. Before I came to work at Team Massive Results over a year ago now, my experience of reading was once or twice a year involving romance novels on the beach, or whilst studying for my marketing degree for 3 years, speed reading paragraphs of text, that I would be tested on at the end of a semester to pass an exam. Not the best way to learn. I know this now. Never did I make the connection with reading to grow myself or to increase my knowledge and confidence. I generally don’t find reading paragraphs of text enjoyable, but then I discovered a book which I really enjoyed. I decided to task myself with reading this book within a week. Something which I’ve never done before, I felt my eyes rolling into the back of my head at the sheer thought. But, just by reading small amounts each day, I found I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to learn more and absorb these case studies, nuggets of knowledge that would help me improve myself and my role at Team Massive Results. This book was called Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley and I highly recommend you read it. It takes simple ideas that have worked extremely well for business and gets you thinking about how this can transcend to your own line of work and the methods which you use. I can’t tell you how excited I was for mine and Ian’s (The Boss) next strategy meeting. My ideas were flowing and I had a real buzz to set these ideas into motion, some of which we already have and are working well. Reading this book and discovering the confidence it’s given me has now awakened a hunger for me to read and learn more. I’m currently reading Peak by Chip Conley which discusses ‘How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow’. Again, another theory that I first learnt at University. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Desperately memorising this triangle of needs to quote in my final exams, never did I think that one day I would be looking at my own self actualisation and the basic needs I require to function successfully. One of which is the need to learn and grow. It has only taken 30 plus years (a lady never reveals her age) for me to realise I’m at my best when I’m learning. Something that my teachers at St Patricks Comprehensive would find hard to believe! Watch out world here I come, armed with a few extra ‘new’ words and thoughts! Hazel Coupe