The Curse of Experience
When I started on ski patrol 20 years ago and learned CPR, I thought it was quite easy and didn't understand why patrollers that had been doing this for 20 years had to stop and think about the compression to breath ratio.
Now I'm the one that’s 20 years in, I get it.
When I first took Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC), National Ski Patrol medical training, we were on the 4ᵗʰ edition. Now we are on the 6ᵗʰ edition. Some things we learned in 4ᵗʰ, were told not to in the 5ᵗʰ, are now back to doing in the 6ᵗʰ. The guidelines for CPR continue to evolve and change with more studies. Things change.
On top of that, I’ve worked on a number of accidents and know what has (and has not) worked well based on injuries I have encountered. Even more data to navigate and process.
When I teach this course, sometimes the people that you’d least expect are the ones that struggle the most… doctors and paramedics. While you might be thinking ‘back this bus up!’ Here’s the deal, they are well trained in their fields, and in ski patrol, we are asking them to dumb things down to a first responder training level and to do it without all their fancy medical gadgets in the office or on their rigs.
What am I trying to say?
When I joined the patrol at 23, I had no baggage or mental models I needed to fit this life saving data into. I was a clean slate making it easier to learn and absorb. Today, I must weave new information and changes into these mental models, just like doctors and other experienced medical professionals. While I may be quicker on my feet at an accident scene, I need to be careful to avoid "Oh, I've seen this before" to ensure I'm providing the proper care. My methodology and system for determining the issue is more important to ensure I am providing the proper treatment. Then my muscle memory of how to provide the treatment can kick in.
I use this non-workplace analogy to ask you:
Where does your autopilot kick in the workplace?
How much time do you spend investigating and defining the problem before diving in to solve it?
Where do you tend to dismiss something (or someone) because you think you know the answer?
What impact do these actions have on your group and colleagues?
Drawing on experience is valuable. Organizations want and pay people that have amassed excellent experience. However, unchecked can create challenges related to experience bias, which can occur when you assume your view constitutes the whole truth.
Here are two specific challenges that can manifest with experience bias:
# 1 Knowing What Details Are Important
Autopilot is a beautiful thing. I love that I don’t have to think about how to brush my teeth and can rely on my brain to execute a large number of functions without my need to intervene. The downside is that you forget all the little things you must know to perform a task which makes it more difficult to explain and/or train someone in your subject matter of expertise. If you’ve been with the company for 5, 10, or 20 years it just makes sense.
When something isn’t done correctly or there is a miscommunication, it’s easy to say “well, it was common sense.” Was it?
The challenge is that you likely work with a lot of people that don’t have the same experience. While you may feel like they are slowing you down asking stupid questions, they are missing important data. Or you may be in a position where you need to explain whatever is going on compounded with the fact that sometimes people won’t ask for a variety of reasons.
I offer you this one simple question when you find yourself in this situation. “What questions do you have?” This question is far superior to “any questions?” By asking ‘what’ rather than ‘any’ it communicates that you expect people to ask questions and that you welcome them. I’ve always said that I’d rather answer all the ‘stupid questions’ than deal with the mess later. Related blog link
# 2 Accessing Beginner's Mind
Beginner's mind is that clean slate I had when I started ski patrol. A fresh blank slate that doesn’t need to be retaught or retrained. When you’re well versed in a topic, it’s hard to unlearn what you know and see it from different vantage points if you are not intentional. You may miss new risks and threats and may find it harder to think outside of the box.
If you are an established leader in an organization, it may be difficult to grasp what new employees need to know or what they are thinking. In this case, reverse mentoring may be a great opportunity for both senior and junior employees.
In reverse mentoring senior leaders can learn from junior employees about their perspectives, challenges, technology, etc. It’s all about asking questions and knowing you don’t own the truth. If you’re looking for inspiration on what types of questions to ask, download your free copy of “Your One-on-One Upgrade Toolkit.” There are a variety of questions that could be useful to get a conversation going and explore alternate perspectives.
