Are you feeling like a novice?
Chase W. Dillon spoke at an event this week celebrating 100 years since Bessie Coleman defied barriers to earn her pilot license. Chase is the 11-year-old actor and star of the new series The Underground Railroad on Amazon Prime. He’s so young that he held his mom’s hand as he walked on stage for his speech. And then he proceeded to opine in a booming voice about the ongoing fight for racial equity in the U.S.
Maybe it’s the immediate access to so much information but they seem to make kids smarter these days. Or perhaps emerging young adults are more adapted to the new workplace as digital natives—AKA they’ve had a piece of technology in their hand since age 2 (the APA still says wait ‘til 2, unless it’s grandma or grandpa on a video chat).
Yes, we own our deep intelligence and broad strategic view from years of experience. And, also yes, the world of business and communications technology has changed drastically for those of us in the “entas” (a playful age joke in Portuguese, as anything over 40 ends in “enta” as in quarenta/40, cinquenta/50, sessenta/60, etc.).
You can fight it. Or you can (swallow your pride and) approach this new world as a novice—a person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation. Here’s how:
Go to the party and listen first.
Clubhouse riles me—it feels like a popularity contest to get into this invitation only social networking platform. But when I got an invitation I couldn’t resist joining. Now it’s time to lurk and listen to understand how the platform works before diving in to contribute. Each social platform has its own culture.
Listening first could prevent you from kicking your feet up and eating a juicy Italian beef in the royal palace—if you pause first to see that sort of thing just isn’t done there. Like an anthropologist, observe first to understand the culture. That is true for any new social platform you try. And in real life, too, for that matter.
Mimic, mimic, mimic.
Do you remember going to your first business meeting decades ago, fresh out of college, all dressed-up and watching how the “adults” in the room interacted to learn everything from how to dress to hand-shaking practices? Now it’s all digital. See what your competitors are doing. Google “top (platform) influencers in (field)” to see ways that people are using technology. For example, “Top TikTok influencers in Mental Health.” While you may not be ready to mimic exactly what they are doing, the new approaches may spark increments of innovation in your own work.
Seek out a mentor who’s younger than you. I mean a lot younger.
There’s no need to be self-deprecating or draw attention to the age difference. Find someone who is willing to answer questions and explain things at a pace and in language you understand. My Instagram coach is 26. My favorite YouTuber for Movie Studio video editing hacks is even younger.
I know, we are deep enough into our careers that we may feel like it’s time to coast. And then the world changed. Or maybe what changed was the desire and opportunity to learn and contribute across the lifespan.
Embrace being a novice with the child’s wonderment that everything is new and exciting. Admit you don’t know what you don’t know and ask, “who would know the answer to that question?” And then follow that where it goes.
Be a novice. Learn new things.