Hello, my friend, Gary Furr has written a series: 7 Steps to Accelerated Business Growth. In one part of the series he mentions how businesses are burning through money due to distractions, costing the US economy $997 Billion. Do you think there is something we can do about it?
I think we are meant to carry on learning for as long as we live. In the famous “Nun’s Study” discussed in the book, Aging with Grace, the researchers found an equal distribution of Alzheimer’s disease-creating plaque in nuns who displayed the symptoms of the disease as those who did not show any symptoms right up to their deaths. The big difference was the lifestyle of mental activity that the two groups of women had followed. Those who displayed significant symptoms and succumbed to the disease were those who worked in manual labor jobs such as gardening, cleaning and cooking and whose mental practice of reading and writing had diminished with age. In spite of having significant areas of plaque in their brains, those nuns who carried on reading, writing and studying were not affected by the disease and showed minimal symptoms.
The parallel in business is worth noting. Companies that offer learning and growth opportunities consistently across the board are the ones that thrive. Distractions in the workplace cost companies billions of dollars. This is evidence of our brains seeking stimulation when mental work is absent. Engage the brain, avoid distractions and establish a healthy economy.
What can you do to keep the brains of your team members actively engaged in learning?
- Explore this question in person with each staff member.
- Keep the discussion alive with ongoing enquiry about what new concepts or ideas they have learned.
Their reading and learning may not always be in areas directly related to their daily work, however the brain is able to creatively make connections that we do not always see on the surface.