Recently, I went through the experience of obtaining a European driving license.
A little background:
I come from a country where obtaining a driving license is relatively easy. Street signs are meaningless most of the time.
A little background:
I come from a country where obtaining a driving license is relatively easy. Street signs are meaningless most of the time.
Driving happens through intuition and an unspoken language between drivers that involves gestures, sounds, and gut feel.
One can say I had driving experience, but really only on how to maneuver a car, context changes everything.
One can say I had driving experience, but really only on how to maneuver a car, context changes everything.
Driving where I used to drive is worlds apart from driving in Europe.
To get the European driving license, I had to study for a theoretical exam, I aced it, got all the questions right on the exam, and knew all the rules. I thought I could just apply them, LET's GO!
To get the European driving license, I had to study for a theoretical exam, I aced it, got all the questions right on the exam, and knew all the rules. I thought I could just apply them, LET's GO!
Boy was I wrong, I couldn't move an inch without making a driving mistake. It was simply too much information to take in. What's happening? I have memorized and studied all the rules! Here, It struck me more than ever before. Knowledge about a thing is not enough to do the thing.
I made the link back to #prodmgmt (but really this applies to any field).
I mean, we take all these courses, study for interviews, have an answer to all questions, we can ace a theoretical exam! WHY CAN'T WE JUST APPLY?!
I mean, we take all these courses, study for interviews, have an answer to all questions, we can ace a theoretical exam! WHY CAN'T WE JUST APPLY?!
There is one place where we can immediately apply knowledge (with ZERO practice), the matrix: "I know Kung-fu".
Or in the future with @neuralink (who knows!)
Or in the future with @neuralink (who knows!)
@neuralink But really though, when learning a thing, theory helps. After all, If knowledge does not exist, links between the WHAT and the HOW cannot be formed, simply because the WHAT does not exist. 
@neuralink Sometimes knowledge exists in scattered forms, that's good, but the stronger the foundation to link from, the faster the learning.
@neuralink So we DO need theory, but it's barely enough. It's good as a foundation to build on not as THE means to skill. Some people ask why read books if I can just apply? My answer is, books/theory gives a reference to known patterns.
@neuralink For example, business books carry over the author's experience on how to do a thing (e.g., build a startup, talk to customers, etc), this helps recognize a pattern when seeing it, but it doesn't guide our actions.
It doesn't create a LINK, we don't immediately know kung-fu.
It doesn't create a LINK, we don't immediately know kung-fu.
@neuralink As mere humans, we have to do it cumulatively, learn the theory, apply, fail. When we fail, we learn why the theory is the way it is, we ingest that in then repeat, apply, fail till we get it right. It takes time and effort, sometimes even "talent" to develop a skill.
@neuralink It takes effort to be a product manager! THEORY is good, in fact great! It is however just a tool to accelerate learning, to give us a reference, a pattern of previous successful attempts, but without PRACTICE, it's void.
If you liked this thread, follow for more 👆
If you liked this thread, follow for more 👆
Back to the top of the thread:
https://twitter.com/product_diaries/status/1490688811214557195
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
