Personal Life and Professional Impact
Photo by Perfecto Capucine from Pexels
Here we are, in the middle of November. The snow is beginning to fall…well, more of a wintery mix of snow and rain. Nevertheless, the year will be coming to a close soon. Where did the time go? It’s been a while since I’ve sat with my observations, putting words on the page, but I’ve been out and about. Learning new things and immersing myself in new experiences.
While some may think that it’s best to separate personal life and professional life, it’s tough to deny that one impacts the other. There is no way around it, especially in this time, where we are encouraged to bring our whole selves to work. The activities and hobbies that you participate in help shape your worldview, your habits, and your larger goals.
In the coming weeks, I will share what my hobbies and activities have taught me, and how these learnings can directly apply to work life and career development. Today, I’m going to cover my experience studying a new language.
Learning a New Language
This fall, I finally returned to the classroom to continue my in person learning of French. My journey with the French language began after a trip to Barcelona a few years ago, when a friend and I took a brief trip up to Toulouse for a couple days. We had a lovely time, and I highly recommend visiting around the holiday season to see the Christmas decorations and visit the marché de Noël.
Santa at the marché de Noël in Toulouse
The city was beautiful and the people were so kind, but I left with a slight feeling of disappointment in myself, as I could not communicate with locals as much as I would have liked. A few months later, I enrolled in beginner French classes, starting at square one.
It’s easy to let life get in the way of hobbies, and unfortunately, I allowed my learning to fall by the wayside after a job change, and then, the pandemic halted in person opportunities. But this September, I stepped back into the classroom and while I was excited to continue learning, I was also a little intimidated.
Community is Important
Public speaking is tough to begin with, but to put yourself in a room with strangers and (attempt to) speak in a new language? That’s enough to get anyone’s palms a little sweaty! Luckily those strangers become your community.
The truth is, everyone is going to feel a little nervous, and a little vulnerable, at first. But you quickly realize that you are all there to learn together; to support each other. Then, as the weeks go by, you can see all the progress that is being made. Together, the class is learning new vocabulary, and improving pronunciation. Yes, you can practice a language at home on your own, but that in-person time, practicing with others, is so valuable in developing and applying your new skills.
It’s similar to starting a job at a new company, and why onboarding is key to a new hire’s success, in addition to overall talent retention. With a great onboarding experience, you begin to form your community, your support system, on day one. It’s a time to immerse yourself in learning a company’s culture, a shared language, products/services, and unique processes. It can be a lot to take in, but a great company will give you the tools, and support to set you up for success. On the other hand, a poor onboarding experience is tough to overcome and can leave a new hire feeling unsupported, unprepared, and without a sense of belonging at a company.
Repeating vs Understanding
Repetition and imitation are important techniques in language acquisition. It allows you to learn the vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and begin to put context around use and grammar. Then, as you level up in your journey, you add complexity and nuance to the use of the language. I’ve heard the true test of fluency is the ability to use humor in a new language, which requires a mastery of the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context. The same can be said for learning new skills, becoming acquainted with a new industry, and general professional development.
In business, specifically dealing with clients, it’s important to know the difference between acquiring and internalizing knowledge, rather than simply remembering and repeating information without layering in context. Providing top notch support to a client requires industry knowledge, product or service knowledge, market perspective, and your client’s unique point of view, and standing, within that industry.
When you approach service and problem solving through this mindset, you will see that no conversation between varying stakeholders is the same. Sure, there are likely going to be common themes and similarities, but there is no one size fits all solution. An expert is an individual that can adjust recommendations and solutions to suit each client’s needs. It requires a growth mindset, and as the world and industries evolve, the solutions will evolve with them.
Clear Communication is Powerful
My journey with the French language is only just beginning, but ultimately, my goals are to be able to communicate clearly, effectively, and in a way that is culturally appropriate to native speakers.
Clear communication should be a goal in business as well. In this case, I’m going to focus on written communication, however, powerful writing is not an isolated skill. After all, clear writing demonstrates clear thinking.
From a client perspective, if you want to validate an employee’s or consultant’s understanding of a problem that you are looking to solve, you should ask them to write a brief summary based on their understanding. Is it accurate and concise? Does it touch upon nuances? Even better, does it add value, by looking through the lens of anticipation? If so, you can feel confident that you have the right individual or team to support you and lead you to a successful outcome.
Commanding a new language takes time, but ultimately, there are so many benefits to taking on this challenge. Communication is truly key. À bientôt!
Have you ever learned a new language? I would love to hear about your language journey and how it may have applied to your professional development and mindset.
