- Personal growth, in which one is less concerned with spe-
cific skills than with self-understanding and the “transfor-
mation of values and attitudes.” - Scientific learning, in which one observes, conceptualizes
on the basis of one’s observations, and then experiments
to gather new data, with a primary focus on truth.
The managers Akin interviewed cited two basic motivations
for learning. The first was a need to know, which they de-
scribed, he said, “as rather like a thirst or hunger gnawing at
them, sometimes dominating their attention until satisfied.”
The second was “a sense of role,” which stems from “a person’s
perception of the gap between what he or she is, and what he
or she should be.”
In other words, the managers knew that they were not ful-
filling their own potential, not expressing themselves fully. And
they knew that learning was a way out of the trap, a major step
toward self-expression. And they saw learning as something in-
timately connected with self. No one could have taught them
that in school. They had to teach themselves. Somehow they
had reached a point in life where they knew they had to learn
new things—it was either that or admit that they had settled
for less than they were capable of. If you can accept all that, as
the managers did, the next step is to assume responsibility for
your education as well as yourself. Major stumbling blocks on
the path to self-knowledge are denial and blame.
Lesson Two: Accept Responsibility. Blame No One
The wisdom of this seems intuitively obvious to me. So I’ll let
you listen to Marty Kaplan, who is the best example of accept-
ing responsibility for oneself that I know of.
Knowing Yourself