The BOSS Network Blog

  “To Teach is to Learn Twice” – an effective strategy for developing and sustaining viable and beneficial “Connections” “To Teach is to Learn Twice” an 18th-century quote often used by educators can serve as an excellent strategy for developing “connections” that serve us well in situations or settings that require us to interact and/or work interdependently with others. “Teach to Learn Twice” definitely has personal benefits.   When we teach something that we know to someone else we enhance our understanding. Preparing to teach a concept to someone else requires us to think about the concept or skill from a different perspective and provides a deeper understanding or a new application. In addition to enhancing our understanding of a concept or skill, we establish a supportive, encouraging exchange with a colleague or associate.   This can lead to a “connection” which is described as a mutual feeling of being able to relate and engage in a positive and produc...

When you are in doubt or you don’t have the answers, your words and your behavior will indicate if you are a “life- long learner.” “I don’t know.”   How often do we say it?   How often do we hear it?   I imagine it is something people don’t want to say very often.   Maybe there is the thought or feeling that you are expected to know everything and there may be a negative perception of you if you don’t have all of the answers. Perhaps we would hear it or even say it more often if we realized the impact of adding a few more words to the statement.   “I don’t know, but I will find out” conveys a totally different message and it has the potential to positively impact the person saying it and those who hear it. In our culture where being right or having all of the information is highly valued, there is a hesitancy or absolute refusal to acknowledge that maybe we don’t know everything or that we don’t have the knowledge or information that is required or requ...

Making a commitment to continuous growth requires us to accept and even embrace all of the variables and experiences that are an integral part of any learning opportunity. The commitment to continuous growth means taking on challenging tasks and goals.  After all, we are not really growing if the accomplishments are easy. A challenge is often accompanied with mistakes, setbacks or even a “failure experience.” The mistakes, setbacks and even the “failure experiences” have value if we are willing and able to step away from the disappointment or frustration and focus on the lessons that will get us to our goal.  The valuable lessons are not always so obvious to us because all we can see is how hard we worked or how much the achievement would mean to us.  This is where feedback is so important and helpful.  Feedback helps us to develop the self-awareness that gives us another view of our situation.  Feedback helps us to keep growing and getting better becau...