“That was the best thing ever.” 

I shared this with my oldest son, Judge, the other day.

We’d just listened to an episode of Hardcore History by Dan Carlin – it was a 3-hour lesson on Alexander the Great. This was just Part 1.

Had you asked me two weeks ago if I had several hours to dedicate to learning about this important historical figure,  I would’ve fake laughed and said “no.” And, yet, when my son proposed this podcast during a vacation car ride, I thought of the alternative – him putting his earbuds in and tuning me out – so I said “sure,” which wasn’t really a yes. This small decision turned out to be an incredible one.  

During the podcast, I was both in awe of all the things I didn’t know and fascinated by the incredible storytelling of leaders, leadership, and strategic decisions empires must make in an attempt to conquer the world. Like, for example, the fact that Alexander’s father was a polygamist allowed him to forge great strategic partnerships … “Sure, I’ll marry your daughter … and I’ll marry your daughter … and I’ll marry your daughter … and we can all be allies.” This allowed him to pass down a powerful Army to his son – yep, Alexander’s really just another Nepo Baby. And his mom!  A teenage bride savvy enough to ensure it’s her child that takes over dad’s reign … but I digress.  

This entire experience checked so many boxes for me:

• A great way to spend time with my 19-year-old 
• A powerful, personal learning experience
• A critical reminder of the importance of professional development from non-traditional sources

I want to highlight that last point. I think it’s so key.

I know we’re busy – super busy, which is why we read so many “7 tips for this” and “5 tips for that.” Or, we YouTube for quick how-to’s, or seek summarized information on Wikipedia. Quick guidance or in-a-pinch inspiration is great, but it’s not learning. Learning isn’t skimming.  

Learning is going deep into a topic, exploring it, and walking away with a refreshed perspective that enhances your point of view and enriches your life. Learning is invigorating, especially when you listen to someone as interesting and passionate about their work as Dan Carlin – who’s like the best college professor you can imagine.  

I know we all can rally around the idea that learning is critical. But I also know that learning is incredibly challenging. It takes something you and I don’t have a lot of … time.  

Moving forward, I know vacation is a rare, sacred space where time is a little more abundant than a typical work week. But I’m going to re-commit to making deep learning a priority in my world.  

So, here are some ideas that I have to weave in-depth learning into my routine – I hope these help you consider ways that you can find time to explore interesting topics, too:

• Start identifying topics that interest you, but aren’t your go-to when you want to consume media. Non-traditional learning is a great practice for sparking creativity and innovation. For me, right now I’m focused on learning about historical leaders, which is different than reading about leadership.  I’m excited for how this is going to show up in my work.

• Give yourself a goal – like 15-minutes a day. Micro-learning is what works best for me.  I’m going to start buying audio books that go deep into topics (again, rather than books that skim at the surface), and start my commitment to small chunks during the day. 15-minutes a day, over the course of a month, is a lot of learning on one topic!! 

• Find a buddy. So, what’s really cool about this experience is that now my son and I have a thing that can serve as a conversation starter, which is great for when he goes back to college and I start to feel disconnected from him. He’s a history major, so this intersects with his interests.  I can always share with him what I’m learning, and we can have deeper conversations.  

Now, maybe your buddy is a colleague, or your team at work is “your buddy.” I met a manager recently who wants their team to go deep into AI in their world – they want to really understand its application in their work so they’re using this as an opportunity to become experts in their group. That’s incredible!  It’s a great way to change the script in workplace conversations, while adding value to the business.  

• Reflect more on how learning changes your perspective. You’ve heard the phrase “knowledge is power.”  When you learn, you become more empowered to have an opinion, state your perspective, and be firmer with your point of view.  Reflecting allows you to refine your thinking on topics, which is incredibly valuable to how you show up in this world. Believe me, learning about how empires rise and fall is sharpening my opinion on our Presidential election … and it reinforces my gratitude for the framers of our Constitution who didn’t consolidate power in one position.

Here’s to a new, inspired era where we all level up our commitment to enhancing our most important asset – our mind. I can’t wait to hear about what you decide to “go deep” into – send me a note!  I’d love to learn from you.