Experience Hear-See-Do

Research indicates that we retain only 10% of what we hear; 20% of what we see; 65% of what we hear and see; but 90% of what we hear, see, and do.

Every day at work we demonstrate Hear-See-Do when we use a combination of our knowledge, wisdom and skill to perform a task or plan what we will do at a later date. This combination of intellect, insight and ability is called experience.

Experience

One of my favorite sayings is, "It's not what you know that counts; it's what you do with what you know that counts." In other words, knowledge by itself is useless and unproductive. It's only when we act on the data, facts and information and apply them in a particular situation or circumstance that we in fact gain experience.

Here are a few simple yet profound truths about experience:

  • We learn from our experiences. If they are positive, we tend to repeat them again and again until we become proficient and our skill levels increase. If they are negative, we file them away in the back of our minds as cautions or red flags to be recalled when a potentially dangerous situation threatens.

  • To experience is to be actively involved. An experience is gained when we wholeheartedly become engaged in an activity or are constantly involved with people over a period of time.

  • Experiences are dynamic. It's really up to us to take charge of our experiences and not let them just happen to us.

  • We are shaped by our experiences. They are the sum total of things we have done, had done to us as well as our past thoughts and feelings.

  • We impact others through our experiences. When we demonstrate an increased ability to work collaboratively with others, their experience levels increase also.

  • Experiences are the foundation of success. Success results when we apply the invaluable lessons we learn from our experiences and move forward. Failure happens when we allow our experiences to stop us or hold us back.

    • What About You?

    Your work related experience is an integral part of who you are, and consists of every job or assignment you have ever had. Over the next week, take a small career break-a time-out to reconsider, reflect and focus on your career direction.

    You determine how much time your break will be. Timing is not as important as actually taking the break itself. Here are a few thoughts to get you started:

    • Reflect on the last time you took a good look at your work experience.

    • Identify 3 things you could do differently on your job to positively impact your career.

    • Develop a plan to overcome the obstacles that are holding you back at work.

    Althea DeBrule, entrepreneur and seasoned human resources executive, has focused for more than 30 years on helping people achieve their career goals. Creator of The Extreme-Career-Makeover? and a founding partner of RADSGroup Organizational Consultants, she is recognized for her bottom line and practical application of career development and management strategies in a way that penetrates hearts and compels action. She speaks and teaches with inspired talent, humor and contagious zeal at management conferences and leadership retreats nationwide, and has been featured in CFO Magazine, Strategy@Work, Human Resource Executive Magazine. Althea is the author of Bosses & Orchards, a compelling and candid book about how to make your work relationship with your boss succeed. To discover how you can take your career to a new level, visit http://www.extreme-career-makeover.com/.


    More Resources

    Manage Your Boss - And Get Ahead!
    It's clear there are a number of common issues faced by business people across totally unrelated industries and environments. This series was created to provide some perspective and guidance to executives as they negotiate their way up the corporate ladder.
    Business Experience is YOUR Security Cover
    Some may want to interpret "independent" to mean WITHOUT others. None of us are truly independent or able to make it in life alone.
    Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?
    Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets the tone.
    Cover Letter Magic: 4 Ways To ASK For The Job Interview - And Get It!
    Just how important it is to ASK for the job interview clearly and directly in your cover letter?IT'S EVERYTHING!So the question remains: how effectively are you ASKING? The following four ways will help you nail down many more job interviews. Try them all and see which ones work best for you.
    Overcoming the 7 Roadblocks Women with Families Face Making Career Changes
    Family is the driving force of our lives. You need family to support you and in most homes you need money to support your family.
    Successful Job Seeking - The Importance of Your Cover Letter
    As an employer I receive many job applications each week. Some cover letters are so well written that I am compelled to review the attached resume even if our company is not currently hiring.
    Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
    You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
    Alert! An Over-50 Jobseeker Has Just Entered the Building
    Interviewing Tips for the Older Job-seeking PopulationA red alert is probably melodramatic, but I'm sure jobseekers in this age bracket probably feel there is one. The bulk of the job-seeking population is currently facing job-search woes that the elderly population has been experiencing for years.
    Getting Your Online Health Care Administration Degree
    Are you thinking about getting your online health care degree but don't know where to start? Afraid of choosing the wrong college or school? Here's a simple guide to help you get started building the career that you've always wanted.Making the decision to get your online health care degree is not any easy one.
    Fuzzy Headed Job Goals Lead to a Fuzzy Headed Life!
    May I clarify in this article what I believe to be "fuzzy headed" life and job decisions. I believe both are entwined: life and job.
    Business Dress for Women: Making Impact
    Buying a suit can be an important investment when you are trying to improve your look for business or career advancement. Wearing a standard off-the rack suit for business or a job interview does not always mean success.
    Spiritual Practices Offer Peace and Acceptance
    Facing career transitions and daily life challenges can leave us feeling lonely, stressed and anxious. How do we manage to deal with the financial and emotional stress of having a home, a car, work (or no work), kids and a spouse in this too-busy world?Spiritual practices can help us navigate through the turmoil of work and life transitions with more acceptance and peace.
    Why a Professional Resume?
    As a job search tool your Resume is your main calling card. It explains who you are and what you have to offer.
    Book Summary: How to Work with Just About Anyone
    This article is based on the following book:How to Work with Just About Anyone"A Three-step Solution For Getting Difficult People To Change"By Lucy GillPublished by Fireside/ Simon and Schuster 1999ISBN 0-684-85527-5206 pages"I just can't seem to get along with this person!"Every office has that one difficult person to work with, who affects productivity due to a terrible attitude, chronic tardiness, or simply drives everyone else up the wall. Here is the answer to common problems in conflict management.
    How to Get the Job You Want in Any Economy... Act Like a Headhunter
    Having spent the last few years of my career in the staffing and recruiting industry, I'm asked all the time by friends and relatives if I can help them find a more desirable job. I've helped my fiancé get a job, helped my college buddies get jobs after graduation, and even helped a few high school buddies find jobs having not seen them for years.
    Skills Make Labor More Valuable
    As you know by now, if you have been a long time subscriber to our weekly E-zine, I'm a very big proponent of activity, labor and discipline. In fact I devoted one of the five major pieces to the life puzzle (in my book under the same name) to the subject of activity and labor.
    4 Niche Job-Search Tips
    Looking for a job on the Internet can be daunting. Where do you start? What Web sites are best for your industry?If you're suffering from "job search overwhelm," take heart.
    Salary Negotiation: How To Earn More Money and Respect From Your Employer
    Despite how important fair pay is to most of us, effective salary negotiation is an often misunderstood and avoided topic. Current research indicates the average duration of a position today is 3.
    Seven Steps to Better Networking
    If published statistics are accurate, employment agencies and search firms fill about 20% of all jobs in the US. Job boards fill anywhere between 2% and 8%.
    How to Change Careers and Still Pay the Bills - 5 Key Steps
    Studies show that more than 50% of people are unhappy in their jobs yet few will actually make a career change in 2005. Why? Most people let fear stop them yet successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!Follow the 5 key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change.

    More Careers & Employment Information:

    Related Articles

    5 Ways to Combat Job Burnout
    Job burnout happens when the stress or prolonged frustration of a job or career contributes to emotional and physical exhaustion. The ability to cope with general life stressors outside of work is strained.
    Telecommuting Cover Letters
    Question: How do I market myself online?Answer: With a stellar cover letter and resume.Okay, so let's get into the meat of this.
    A Concept That Could Double Youre Income in Mystery Shopping
    Do you want to double, or increase significantly you're income in mystery shopping? If yes, I'll be sharing to you an age old concept. Now you might have learned this already or you may consider this common sense.
    Your Next Performance Appraisal: Make It Work For You
    In the rush of everyday work, it can be difficult to think about your own career development. An appraisal is a key opportunity to identify your strengths, areas that need improvement and plans for your future.
    Seven Deadly Types of Job Recruiters
    Collect them all!Over the course of six months in my pursuit of a new job, I have talked to recruiters on a daily basis. I have communicated with or have been contacted by at least 100 recruiters.
    Resume Writing - Importance of a Professional Summary
    The Summary is the preview of your entire resume. This may be be the only part that an interviewer or employer might read for shortlisting your resume.
    In a Rut? Ready for a Career Change?
    Are you unhappy at work? Tired and lacking energy and drive? Don't worry, you are not alone! Studies in the US show that up to 70 percent of the workforce is unhappy with their job at any given time. We all feel dissatisfied and frustrated with our jobs at times.
    Cover Letters
    Cover Letters: Are you telling them what they want to know?Let's face it. Recruiters (or employers) are smarter than we think.
    The Top Ten Strategies of A Great Interview
    You've just received a call to interview with your dream company. Do you know how to prepare for the interview so that you'll feel confident, have a good experience and set yourself apart from others? Try following the steps below and you'll not only be well prepared, you'll present yourself as a true professional.
    Adapting To Change In A Changing World
    Have you learnt a new skill or improved upon your existing skill in the last six months to one year?According to the world acclaimed management guru and Writer Professor Peter Drucker - "The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning news skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.
    Should You Lie On Your Resume?
    Warning: Lying on your resume could cost you your job and your freedom.Picture this.
    Six of the Best for a Winning Resume
    1. Be CompleteMake sure that your resume includes EVERYTHING your prospective employer would need to know to be able to offer you an interview.
    The Art of Selling Yourself!
    To "sell" oneself on paper is not easy. Creating a resume is a design and construction job and a test of your writing skills as well.
    Importance Of Your Job Search
    So that you can decide just how critical your job hunt is in your total life scheme, let's put a kind of frame around the importance of the effort ahead.Reflect on it.
    Integrity At Work - How Do You Show Up?
    As the business sections of today's papers and magazines read more and more like the police blotter, ''Integrity'' is fast becoming a hot topc of conversation in business boardrooms, around water coolers, and in today's business best-sellers. Integrity is defined as walking the talk when it comes to living one's true values, being authentic.
    What Your Guidance Counselor, Career Counselor, and Own Mother Probably Never Told You...
    The alarm clock jars you awake at some insanely early hour. As you hit the snooze button you think, "there's gotta be a better way to make a living.
    Match, Meet, and Mesmerize at a Job Fair
    Are you considering another trip through the career maze? Attending a job fair can make you feel like you are playing a losing game unless you have a clear understanding of the rules. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of any job fair, and gaining a competitive edge.
    Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid
    By avoiding these 8 simple mistakes, you can improve your chances ofhaving a successful interview and landing the job of your dreams.1.
    Rewriting Your Resume? 7 Easy Ways To Give Yourself An Upgrade
    In today's competitive job market, a first class resume is an essential tool for winning an interview. The way in which you present your skills, achievements and experience on paper will profoundly affect the way in which a hiring company considers your application.
    4 Tips for Making Successful Job Offers
    The interviews are completed, the paperwork is all filled out for Human Resources, and you have decided that this is the right candidate for the job. Now comes the formal job offer.