Climbing the greasy ladder

At around the same time I discovered the Art of Brilliance, I had the opportunity to do a Masters Degree, paid for by work. I'd built up a really good relationship with the Director of Human Resources, the very handsome and distinguished Dr. Neil Wooding. It was a relationship based on mutual respect, banter and general inappropriateness and involved a lot of laughter. But in between the banter we would have serious conversations that I would describe as 'light mentoring'.

I wasn't sure whether to do the degree. The norm was to do an MBA and I was more interested in having a side gig with the Art of Brilliance. Neil suggested a compromise and that I look wider than an MBA to find something that I would be excited to do. I did that and found something that fitted - a Master's Degree in Business Psychology. It ticked all the boxes - relevant to the organisation, relevant to the Art of Brill and most importantly of interest to me (unlike my Degree in Physics had been all those years ago).

About 6 months into the course we were chatting one evening before leaving work and he asked me how things were going. I told him that I'd got into a good groove and could consistently hand in work that got a 2.1 and then went on to say that the aim was to get the masters as it would increase my prospects of getting a promotion. His response wasn't at all what I'd expected. It was so out of character it stopped me in my tracks:

What do you mean a Masters will get you a promotion ? Learning is not transactional, it must be transformational !

I'd never heard him raise his voice like that before. Normally I would have argued the point with him, because that's what we did. But this was different. This was important. So I listened.

Neil talked with passion about how learning, if approached with the right attitude, should take you beyond your comfort and discomfort zones. It should take you the very edge of fear. That's where you really learn and grow. That's where the transformation takes place and you spread your wings. That's where fear and exhilaration become indistinguishable. That's the learning zone. That's the place that unlocks your humanity and engages your humility.

My telling of the story doesn't really do it justice. Neil is an eloquent orator, but this went well beyond that. Passionate, authentic and honest. I didn't just hear it, I felt it. His passion for learning and the positive impact it has came through crystal clear and I left work that night with a lot to think about.