| Our best ideas, quick and curated | April 22, 2022
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| What is the S-curve of learning? |
| The S-curve of learning is a very simple visual model for what growth looks and feels like. It’s based on the diffusion curve that was popularized by E. M. Rogers back in the 1960s. He used it to help us figure out how quickly groups of people change. We can use the S-curve to help us think about how we change, how we learn, and how we grow. |
| Every time you start something new, you are at the base of the S. This is what I call the launch point. This is the place where it’s going to feel like a slog; it may feel discouraging; it may feel overwhelming. That’s because even though growth is happening, it’s not yet apparent. You’ve got this predictive model in your brain. It’s making lots and lots of predictions, and those predictions can be incorrect, [in which case] your dopamine drops. |
| The second phase of the S-curve of learning is the sweet spot. You hit the knee of the curve—it’s that steep, sleek back of the curve. This predictive model that you’re running is becoming increasingly accurate. You’re getting lots of dopamine, lots of upside surprises. You’re feeling competent and confident. |
| This is the place where it’s still hard, but it’s no longer too hard. You feel exhilarated. You feel like you’re right where you’re supposed to be. This is the place where growth is not only fast—it feels fast. |
| Then you hit the third part of the curve: mastery. You’ve figured everything out, but because you’re no longer enjoying the feel-good effects of learning, you can get bored. Growth is actually slow. You’ve got slow and then fast and then slow. Once you understand what growth looks like, once you have this very simple visual model, you can increase your capacity to grow. |
| Why do we need to be smarter about growth now? |
| One of the things that psychologists have seen is that when we come through a period of severe stress, which the pandemic has been, we are in this place where we’re poised for tremendous growth. |
| Over the past couple of years, we were all on this S-curve, and then we were pushed off. Whether we liked the S-curve or not, we’ve now realized, “Oh, I’ve got this different perspective. I’m now in motion. I’m moving. I have more resilience than I thought I did.” |
| People are really evaluating their lives, and they’re asking themselves, “Do I want more?” In terms of people quitting their jobs, I don’t think it’s so much the Great Resignation as the Great Aspiration. People are aspiring for more—they’re not resigning from. They’re aspiring for more because they want to grow. |
| How do you balance looking back with looking ahead in your learning? |
| We can think about our life and plot it out as a series of S-curves. And I do think it’s useful to look at our prior S-curves; I do believe that no S-curve is ever wasted. The challenge is if we look at it and we think, “This should have been different, my life should have been different.” That is actually very counterproductive and can become an excuse. |
| To the extent that we look at it, we learn from it—that will give us information. When I know I’m on the launch point of the curve, then I can say, “Oh yeah, I do feel exhilarated, but I also feel overwhelmed. I feel discouraged. This is normal.” That allows me to think about what I need to do to move into the sweet spot. |
| — Edited by Barbara Tierney |
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| BACKTALK |
| Have feedback or other ideas? We’d love to hear from you. |
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