Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

The period of time when you slow down for a while, come back to the starting line, and rejoin the race one more time.

How I sharpen my strength and strengthen my weakness.

As an “operation-of-everything”, my daily routine when I come to the office is opening the last 6 tabs, checking about 40 notis just from the end of yesterday, replying to 18 unread messages while having breakfast and talking with colleagues. That’s the way I usually start a day at Base (my last company which provide SaaS Solution in Vietnam market for 8k+ customers) in the past 4 years.

You can see that these are all simple tasks that can be completed in autopilot mode within 5 to 10 minutes. Although I also have other problems to solve that require deep thinking throughout the day, I think that 30% to 50% of my time is usually spent on “autopilot-work”.

This type of work is necessary and appropriate for a Deputy Director of Operation in a fast-growth SaaS company because there are many urgent but not-so-important tasks to be done, and things need to be organized.

However, when I moved to True (my current company with SaaS products targeting English speaking markets founded by Base’s founders), I came to office and realized there were no notis, no messages, no tabs that need to be opened. A question popped up in my mind, “What will I do today?”.

To be honest, it’s challenging to make a move when you don’t have customers yet, your product is still being built, your customer ideal profile is still undefined. So in the end, what will a Revenue Operations do when there is not any Revenue yet?

But on the other hand, to me, every coin has 2 sides. This time is a priceless opportunity to come back to the starting line, to unlearn everything you have learned and come back with double strength.

So I started “Unlearn & Relearn” process with 2 pillars I usually tell my members:

#1: Sharpen your strength

One of the most recognizable trait of me in my company is the “logic” Tracy, with the routine of asking questions “Why?”, “For what?” & “Wait a second, what if…?”. I have been practicing this since I was in school, but as it became a routine, I found it challenging to train other people, especially my team members.

So I decided to relearn the skill of Problem Solving, especially after reading the book “Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything”.

Come across one of my friend (Quinn) review about the book, which I truly agree

Here's how I unlearn and relearn:

• Clear my mind and receive all the knowledge as a fresher

• Immediately practice new way approach with one old & one new problem (real business problems)

• Adjust & customize the knowledge to make it become “Tracy’s way”

• Last but not least, turn it into a training session so you have to package all the knowledge and transfer to others

  (You can find the slide I made to this Problem Solving Lesson here or you can find an example of this frame when apply to build the Training Session)

Just a simple approach with a foolish question, I have a deeper understanding of everything I have done well and everything that can be improved.

When all of colleagues start using the term “Problem statement” & “Logic Tree” in daily conversation, I know exactly what do to if next time I want to help my member to sharpen their problem solving skills.

#2: Strengthen your weakness

In the 19th century, the German scientist Justus von Liebig formulated the “Law of the Minimum,” which states that if one of the essential plant nutrients is deficient, plant growth will be poor even when all other essential nutrients are abundant.

I like this law when applied to the business field because it reminds us that we will be limited by our weakest competencies. So I asked myself, “What is one thing that I am not good or that I know is important but always fear to do?”

The answer came across my mind: Writing.

To me, writing isn't just about the moment you write or type something. t’s a process of thinking, structuring, self-debating, analyzing, synthesizing and a little bravery to speak out, even if you fear raising your voice when you know you have some influence in your close community.

So what did I do to strengthen my weakness? Simple by: “Just do it".

I bought the domain “tracy101.com”, created a Substack Account and just started writing about any topic that came to mind. I know that my first blog might not be good enough or quite long for just getting some small ideas, but one thing that I do want you to know when you have read till this line: We can start facing everything by 3 words: Just do it.

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Today I came to office, there were some first notis, first messages, first emails and still a ton of things to do to make True a global company with world-class products.

But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Just believe in progress and make it better every day.

Good luck to all of us, lifelong learners!

Hey there! If you drop a heart icon or leave a comment,
it would really inspire me to keep writing :d