What is mastery all about and what can be my personal mastery? That is the question that’s been guiding me for the last 7 years. Quite often people of course ask me the same question.
I can’t give a straight answer to that question. In fact, one important thing I have learnt is that it is less about finding the right answer and more about the search and exploration itself. Posing the same question continuously and being curious about what I can learn even more about mastery. About myself. About the impact I can have.
Since there is so much interesting and inspiring to share with you about mastery I will start sharing it with you on a regular basis.
Under the name ‘Discovering Mastery’ I will post my personal notes as micro-lessons. You can just let yourself be inspired. Or you can even pause for a moment to learn more and discover mastery for yourself. It would be great to learn from you what you will discover yourself.
“How much money have you invested in yourself in the last three years?” The silence following this question is deafening. This answer is sooner the rule than the exception. I often pose this question when someone tells me that investing in himself means everything to him, and it hardly happens that someone has an answer.
‘Investing in yourself’. It sounds wonderful, powerful even. It seems to express a statement that says: I am worth the investment! All the more surprised I am when someone turns out not to invest even one euro in himself.
The boss pays, so it’s the boss who invests!
In practice it’s the employer that’s supposed to do the investment. “Because when the employer does not invest in me, I am gone” (expressed with the same conviction as the employee wants to invest in himself).
I find this such a fascinating phenomenon. Why? To show this I will take you on a field trip to the world of the ‘real’ investments.
What is investing actually?
The idea of investing is simple: you put money, time and/ or other means into something with the expectation that it will deliver more (financial) benefit in the long term.
The logical benefit that comes to mind then is that you will earn a higher salary or build a better pension. The point in this definition is not so much about the investing itself, but about the person that does the investment. That is the one that can have the expectation of the benefit on the long term. And that is clearly the employer. The benefit that the employer expects is that you will increase your performances. That can be for the short term, but also for the long term. The longer the term, the higher the odds that the invest will be paid back. So next to better performances there is the value of retention (keeping you as an employee as long as possible).
Isn’t it time to look differently at it?
Sounds logical, but do people actually still want this? Do you want this? It used to be normal to work for one employer until your retirement. But that is a dying breed. Organizations can not promise that anymore and more importantly employees themselves wouldn’t even think of it. Five years nowadays is long.
In this light it is logical that organizations are starting to question whether they still should invest so much in employees knowing that they are likely to leave the organization in a few years. When the long term value diminishes or disappears, then only the short term value remains. Which means that the employer can set demands or expectations for the employee towards delivering better results.
The long term investments have therefore become more in the interest of the employee. How will you make sure that in the near future you will also do the work you like to do? How will you invest in that?
Do you dare to invest in yourself?
By saying that you expect your employer to pay, you won’t make it that far anymore. You are now in the investors seat. And yes, a training of € 3000 is suddenly a lot of money. Just as much as when your employer paid for it, only know you feel it yourself. And that is a good thing. It really makes you think. But it requires you to shift your focus from “what it costs” to “what it’s worth”. Is it worth investing € 3000 euro in yourself? Do you believe that you will benefit from it on the long term? It is not for nothing that investors ask an entrepreneur how much they have invested themselves in his own company. It’s not about the euros, it’s about the belief the entrepreneur has in his company (and in himself). So how much belief do you have in yourself and how important is it to you to invest real money in yourself?
And out of experience I can tell you that really investing in yourself you also benefit on the short term because of the powerful feeling it gives to you. It gives you a feeling of freedom and autonomy. That alone is already worth the investment.
Are you prepared to invest in yourself? And what makes that you either do it or not?
In the coming blogs about this theme I will talk about risk appetite, Return on Investment and investment sources. Want to receive these as the first in your mailbox? Leave behind a comment with “investing in myself” or send an E-mail to info@schoolformastery.com.
Everywhere around us there are events about: “The Future of…..”. The Future of Finance, of Work, of Retail, of Health Care and so on. Apparently we are eager to learn more about the future. Everything around us is changing which means that nothing stays what it was and will not return to how it was. But what then?
Certainties disappear.
We prefer to have clarity and certainty because that gives us peace. That’s what we are used to. We are taught to get that feeling of security from external factors like a fixed contract, a job title, a salary, the brands we have worked for or are working for or the performances have reached in the past. But in the last decade these factors have lost this value.
A fixed contract does not give us a guarantee till retirement anymore (apart from the question if we still want that), job titles have become more diffuse and unclear. A lot of starters already call themselves CEO when they register at the Chamber of Commerce. There goes the classical career path to the top! A great salary has become a golden chain (and we are hoping for a great departure scheme). And where you first worked for a dreamed corporate where you thought a successful career was settled, this now has turned against you in finding a new job since you are not flexible or innovative anymore.
The future isn’t certain either.
So in all areas is becomes clear that the certainty we once knew will not come back so then it makes sense that you want to learn more about the future and you attend these events. But often you will be disappointed because the essence of most of these stories is that the world around is becoming digital faster and stronger and it’s changing the essence of work. Probably your work will disappear and you will lose your job. OK, that’s not what you wanted to hear. Or is it? What you can actually conclude is that no-one really knows. The only thing that is clear is that everything is changing. And so it is important to change your perspective on certainty too.
Certainty from yourself.
When we can find less certainty from external factors we will have to get them more from internal factors and therefore from yourself! But aren’t we doing that already? Everyone is developing their “talents”. We want to do what we like and what we are good at. In practice however it means that it needs to happen quickly and easily since we are “so busy”. Besides we expect our employer to pay for it. Why on earth should we invest in ourselves?
Invest in yourself structurally.
Developing your “talent” is not gonna help you. The question you first need to pose yourself is how valuable you see yourself and how willing you are to structurally invest in yourself. Next to that it is important to gain more insight in what you have to offer in terms of vision, knowledge, skills, experience and so on with which you can make a difference. How strong are you applying and developing these every day again and again? And how will you make sure that you have the impact that matters? Not just now, but also in the future?
Learn because you want to.
These were quite some questions and in the fact lies the heart. By asking lots of questions you will become curious again, you acknowledge that you don’t know and above all you realize that you still have a lot to learn. Just learn again as you did as a child, because it was fun, because you grew in your capabilities. And of course it was sometimes frustrating, but the bigger was the satisfaction when you mastered something at a certain moment. To which extent are you still learning like this?
So start learning again, not because you have to but because you want it yourself. Because it makes you human and because it gives you the opportunity to mean something for customers, colleagues, society with what makes you unique.
Foto David Legreve
At your next “Future of…”-event.
The strong thing about trendwatchers that tell you about the “future of…” is that they have started to look around them based on their own interest and vision. They have started to wonder what is happening, what is relevant for them and reflect on what might happen when you tie several developments together. In that way build an image for themselves (and you) based on which they can make new choices. They don’t do this because their employer asks them to do it, the do it because they want it themselves.
So when you are attending a new “future of”-event don’t just listen and consume. Sit down and continuously question what the story may mean for you and your profession. What can you do with it, what do you want to do with it and how can you use the information to not only get more out of your work but also be better prepared for the future of work and above all the future of you?
Design: Ellen Oosterhof
Are you organizing an event about “the Future of….” And you want your participants to leave inspired instead of in shock then The School for Mastery has developed a story called “The Road to Mastery” especially for this purpose.
If you talk about mastery you quickly end up in art. Art is well known to be connected to mastery. When I developed the School for Mastery I wanted to learn everything about mastery, so I went to the Mauritshuis and the Rijksmuseum to learn and be inspired. What struck me was the immense diversity there is simply in painting. In essence it is sticking paint to canvas. But the ways in which this can be done are infinite. A painter can play with the types of paint, the colors, the painting techniques, the different ways in which paint can be applied on the canvas and so on.
What makes it a piece of art is the way the painter himself does this. In a piece of art you see someones vision, skill, experience, commitment, emotion and style. You see the result of all these combined in one clear visible product.
Another thing that struck me is the fact that a painter experiments with different techniques and styles. The artist also dares to choose a style in which he or she distinguishes oneself by continuously applying and developing this style, while learning every day to become better.
Painting is one way of creating art as we know it and there are many more ways to create art. But is it possible to transfer the principles of art to other fields of expertise than the ones that are common? What is the art that you are creating in your work? In order to really explore and understand this I had to start wondering what kind of art I am creating myself.
My first conclusion was that I don’t create art. I realized that I was too busy in my work to say that I create art. I was answering E-mails, doing phone calls, dealing with lots of short term demands and trying to finish a never-ending to-do list. I noticed that I was letting the quality of my work depend on the result of all the elements above and my ability to deal with all of them. That’s not art, that is chaos and mediocrity. That was a shocking and confronting experience.
When I started to look deeper I was able to find some hints that do reveal a certain signature and style. There were results I had achieved that make me proud and which make me stand out. There were lots of moments in which I had an impact on people and there were tokens of appreciation that I had received from people because of the way I had helped or inspired them. All of these came out of moments in which I was training or coaching people and in which I showed myself as Jordy.
I then decided that I wanted to create art myself to learn more about this. And a clear product in which that could become visible is a “simple” workshop. So what would happen if I start creating workshops with the mindset of creating art?
Upfront I decided that I wanted to create the workshop as being a creative activity. I want to enjoy the process of creating. This meant that I did not give myself any time limits and I only work on it when I want to. As if I feel like painting and go to my studio to paint and make something beautiful.
It is about creating something that is part of me and in which I develop my skills and knowledge at the same time. An activity that I look forward to and enjoy while doing it.
Then I started to think about the topic and conditions of the workshop. I made a list of all kind of topics that are relevant for mastery. The one I decided to start with was “Focus”. I am so much intrigued by the fact that technology is said to make our life much easier, but at the same time people seem to make it more and more difficult. People are always “busy” and are led by their inbox or telephone, while at the same time wishing to have a purpose or passion. Why is it so difficult to set your own course and keep it? I also realized that by choosing focus as the topic, it will help me build and keep my own focus in order to set up the School for Mastery. I also decided that the workshop should not last longer than 1.5 hours. So with a clear topic and strict conditions upfront I could start.
I first started to read lot about focus in books and articles. Some books I read over and over, I made summaries and notes and made summaries of the summaries. Until I felt that I knew enough about focus to start building.
I developed a story line about the main things of focus I want to integrate in the workshop. When I had built the set up I put it aside to let it rest. After a while I picked it back up, looked at it and made adjustments or read some more. Once the story line was clear I wanted to build a presentation that told the story in clear pictures. Just finding the right pictures took me many, many hours of searching. This was possibly the phase that took the longest, but I fully enjoyed it to sit on the couch browsing pictures for hours and hours. I completely lost track of time while doing this.
In order to make it a real workshop and not a lecture I then had to work out all kinds of activities and assignments that could best help people really learn about focus. Once this was done I could start adding the details and the design and this is the phase that I am currently in.
This also means that the workshop is about to be put to practice! I start to feel the energy to start making the workshop work in real life. But still with the mindset of creating it even further. It is definitely not finished yet, but it is almost ready to offer it to people and learn more while putting it to practice.
I started building this workshop now more than a year ago. In that time I have learnt a lot about focus, but more importantly I have learnt a lot about developing mastery and creating art in its essence. And I can tell you it is very energizing and fulfilling because I am making something unique that is part of who I am and where I stand in my development. Hopefully this inspires you think about the art you want to create.
Since you have read this blog until the end I assume this is a topic that intrigues you. Therefore I want to offer you the opportunity to participate in one of the try outs of the workshop Focus. If you want to help me develop the workshop even further towards a masterpiece and you want to learn more about focus you can send me an E-mail or post a reply to the blog below and I will let you know when the try outs will be organized.
A year ago I decided to quit a wonderful job to set up the School for Mastery. I had already developed the idea in 2014, so it took me 3 years to dare to make this bold choice. And so I instantly became an entrepreneur, which had never been part of my development goals before. But it made sense. I had built a lot of experience in talent development and I had seen the impact I have had in all those years and how people valued the way I helped them in their development. People also valued me for my refreshing view on personal development. They told me I gave them the feeling that they matter and that I help them grow what makes them unique. And with their uniqueness they can have an impact. It was so rewarding to hear this and I realized that this is what I want to do and what I have to do. I want to make this available for as much people as possible. And the best way in which I can do that is by setting up a business myself that is built on my view on personal development: mastery development.
The name School for Mastery made logical sense because it simply shows that it is about learning mastery and about bringing people together and contributing to each others development. So from day one I started to tell people that I am building a school. And people responded positively and really liked the idea. And I noticed that being independent felt so energetic, I could spend all my time available on the things that truly matter. The first assignments came quickly which gave me the confirmation that I am doing something that is valued. But once those assignments were finished there were only a few new assignments. And they were not sufficient to be a solid basis with which I can support my family and build the school at the same time.
For the first time I started to feel the other part of entrepreneurship: the uncertainty. In the mean time I also received more often the feedback that it is not really clear what I am offering or that people miss one important element in the School for Mastery: me. But why me? It is not about me, but about the people I want to serve. So you can imagine that I started to feel frustrated. Uncertainty and frustration may not seem to be really comfortable. And believe me, they aren’t. But I noticed that they make me feel alive. They make me realize that I am learning every day and that I haven’t been learning so much in the last few years as I am learning now. This is what mastery is all about: learning every day so I can have the unique impact I can have, now and in the future. It is not about reaching an end state of mastery. It is a way of life!
So if I want more people to benefit from this way of learning I need to let people know that the School for Mastery exists. I therefore need to learn all about marketing and do that on a daily basis. And I want to find the right way so that it connects with the School for Mastery and therefore me. I approached several people to help me deal with the questions I had. My main challenge was that I wanted to market something that is part of me. It felt like marketing a chocolate bar while being the bar myself.
One feedback I received was very valuable. My coach told me that my message is that companies can have the biggest impact if they let people be their unique selves in their work. So why wasn’t I doing that myself then? Why wasn’t I accepting that I am the School for Mastery myself? If people want to know what the School for Mastery is all about, they need to know what I am all about. This was exactly what I needed. I was afraid that people may perceive me as being arrogant and that it is all about me, but that has never been the case, so why would it be like that now? But people do need to see me in order to value what I am offering.
So to make it clear to myself and everyone else: I am the School for Mastery! I live mastery myself already my whole life and I connect with people that also live mastery and who contribute to the School for Mastery. And if you may wonder why I am so open in this blog about my learnings: this is what mastery is all about. Learning every day, being open and vulnerable, helping others and dealing with uncertainty and challenges while having an impact that is bigger than yourself. Being successful is only valuable if you accept and deal with the challenges and difficulties on a daily basis.
So if you feel that mastery can help you too then you know where to find me and I’d love to help you develop your mastery too.
What matters to you so much that it is worth to focus and learn every day?
I am so much intrigued by the fact that technology is said to make our life much easier, but at the same time people seem to make it more and more difficult. People are always “busy” and are led by their inbox or telephone, while at the same time wishing to have a purpose or passion. Why is it so difficult to set your own course and keep it? I also realized that by choosing focus as the topic, it will help me build and keep my own focus in order to set up the School for Mastery. I also decided that the workshop should not last longer than 1.5 hours. So with a clear topic and strict conditions upfront I could start.