1. The Leadership Skill of being able to Unlearn:
Create Value through Unlearning
There are assumptions you hold, and assumptions that have a hold on you-- Prof
Robert Kegan of Harvard
As adults, too many of us are still puppets to the past, doing what was taught to us forty-
years after our “indoctrination!” The essential leadership quality of tenacity sometimes
hinders success. There is a saying that old ideas only die when the people holding them
die. Irwing Corey said if we do not change direction we will end up where we are going
(sometimes nowhere!)
In today’s world, change is happening so fast that for us to keep up we must change, and to do that we
must unlearn. Unlearning is a prerequisite for problem solving, innovation and creativity. If leaders wish
to be progressive and have lateral thinking, they have to learn to unlearn. Leaders who imbibe
unlearning avoid strategic mistakes and avoid missing the bus. They are more adept on capitalising on
the winds of change
Unlearning is harder than learning. Unlearning is exactly what it says: Intending to let go of what we
have already learned or acquired. It is not about right or wrong. It is about being open to and exploring
something that lies underneath the judgment, underneath the right and the wrong.
Unlearning could be also described as stripping the existing paint of a wall so that new paint sticks. As
you know stripping is 70% of the job and repainting is 30%.
Examine a case in the field of medicine. For years doctor’s felt ulcers were caused by stress and spicy
food. In 1985, a young Australian doctor, Barry Marshall, had the audacity to suggest that ulcers they
were caused by bacteria. When he first proposed his theory at a medical conference, he was booed off
the stage! Twenty years, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Just imagine how many more
people could have been better served if only hundreds of arrogant doctors were willing to unlearn!
The future is in how fast you are at unlearning. Yes, we're under pressure to learn more and to learn
quickly, but the future goes to those who can unlearn faster than the rest, because you can't always
learn something new until you first let go of something else. And learning to let go of rules is one of the
first things we (and our managers) have to learn to be quicker at.
Sometimes that means letting go of something that served you well for a long time. And that's the
toughest thing. Think of all the things you might have to unlearn, even in the course of a year: For
middle and senior managers,
* Unlearn what your target market is (because it just changed)
* Unlearn that you work for your company (because you work for your customers)
* Unlearn short term thinking (because you will get long term success)

2. * Unlearn that your product will last for ever and competition will not catch up
* Unlearn you will remain market leaders (because Mahindra Motors just overtook Tata Motors)
* Unlearn old policies and procedures (because the new generation requires different rules)
* Unlearn the way you advertise and market (because your market just got a lot smarter).
* Unlearn the way you approach your brand (because it's no longer within your control).
* Unlearn the way you teach (because learners need to unlearn and learn simultaneously)
* Unlearn the way you treat your employees (because before you know it, that "meets expectations"
review might come back to haunt you on a blog)
* Unlearn the technology you use (self-explanatory... we're all living this one)
* Unlearn plain vanilla business excellence (because you need Customer Excellence)
* Unlearn that processes and systems solve everything (because you must have customer centric
attitudes)
* Unlearn that success leads to success (because Bill Gates says it is a lousy teacher; it makes smart
people feel they can’t lose)
* Unlearn your role is just to lead and be a good administrator (because your role is to create value)
You can add to this unlearn list!
Now leaders have to learn that their role is to create value for all stakeholders and unlearn that
old paradigm that profit is the purpose of a business. Unlearning will help you create value
faster
Contact Customer Value Foundation for unlearning and Creating Value
Gautam Mahajan
President
Customer Value Foundation
K-185, Sarai Jullena
New Delhi 110025
Mob: +91 9810060368
Tel: +91 11 26831226
email: mahajan.g@customervaluefoundation.com
website: http://customervaluefoundation.com