There is opportunity on the other side of fear

Cross that bridge...

Also, not forgetting the usual dose of weird, wonderful and what I hope is helpful content from the rest of planet earth in my curated roundup.

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Want to work together? Let's talk

The Big Thought

How do you cross the fear gap?

A topic which doesn’t get nearly enough coverage despite its importance.I first heard this phrase used by Andrew Huberman on his podcast when speaking with Tim Ferriss on how he approaches learning new skills and staying ahead of trends

.This got my old neurons firing all over the place. We all experience the ‘fear gap’. You may not always be conscious of it, but it’s always happening. It’s the process of when you don’t know enough about something, typically have doomsday-type thoughts about the thing and then eventually have a more balanced outlook once you understand what that thing is.

Or in other words, you're lack of knowledge leads to an incomplete viewpoint, which for us as humans (not you AI), often makes us fearful.An on-trend example of this (as I write these words) is generative artificial intelligence.

You’re either in the camp of “Judgement day is coming and we’ll be enslaved by the machines” or “There’s so much opportunity and I can’t wait to join the Matrix”.

Our media consumption fuels more of the doomsday because we know, from a psychological perspective, our brains are weird for survival. So we search out the threats before the opportunity.

For us to reach the land of a balanced viewpoint to understand opportunities, not just risks. We have to cross the fear gap.

The 6-step Process to crossing your fear gap

Here are 6 ideas to challenge your assumptions and cross your own fear gap in anything:

1️⃣ Embrace your curiosity

Yes, that thing which most schools try to kill - unleash it. Approach the topic with a beginner's mind of natural curiosity. Become a detective searching for the what and why of the topic.

2️⃣ Break it down

Don’t go crazy like some conspiracy theorist munching on all the counterculture content they can get. Consider the framework to best improve your knowledge. This could be the what, why and how classic structure.

3️⃣ Research and learn

Gather information from reputable sources (so not your mate Tim who is so far down the TikTok rabbit hole that short videos are life).

The big publications and those who actually work in the field of the thing you’re trying to understand are your best bet. Seek diverse perspectives to gain a holistic understanding. That means the good, bad and ugly. Always be the chess player, not the chess piece.

4️⃣ Practice

They say practice makes perfect, right? With skills, engaging in practical activities related to the skill is going to help you, obviously. With different topics (outside the skill-building realm), it’s wise to experience this thing in whatever form that is. Ultimately, experiment, apply your knowledge, and learn from your own experiences.

5️⃣ Get the right guidance

Much like with the research and learn section, where you get your information and its quality matter. You could do this by connecting with subject matter experts on the topic. This can be through podcasts, books and articles as covered already, or attending talks and reaching out directly (if they’re not uber famous, of course).

6️⃣ Reflect and adapt

Once you’ve spent a good amount of time on the above, you can make a more well-rounded view of the topic or skill that once filled you with such fear. Reflect on how you feel now with the knowledge you have gained, what are the differences? What are your beliefs now vs then? Crystalise these in note form so you can capture these in one place.

Congrats, you can now take this new lens into future fear gap situations too.

🤘 From LinkedIn

I post so much on LI, even I lose track of all the stuff. Here’s a quick roundup of drops to keep me and you in the loop:

1️⃣ A simple guide to learning content best practices

2️⃣ Why it's too easy to say "L&D needs to change" when you're not on the frontline

3️⃣ How to transform ChatGPT into your personal skills coach

4️⃣ How workplace L&D (really) creates value

5️⃣ A 5-step process to avoid the knowledge trap

Let's be friends, human 🤖

Ok, I did a thing...I created a ChatGPT Crash Course for L&D Pros in partnership with Thinkific.

Yes, I know, another person with some AI course. But, I hope you know enough about my work now that when I do something I go all in.

I'm humbled to speak with amazing L&D pros, like you, all the time. Maximising AI in your work has been the biggest thing you've told me you want to work on this past year.

The world is littered with CGPT content (a lot of it utter BS) but how do you leverage this as a L&D Pro? That’s what I want to unlock together.

We’ll unpack:

🤔 The nuts and bolts of generative AI – no more jargon, just the facts.

✍️ How to create kick-ass learning experiences with ChatGPT – real-world stuff, no fluff.

😮 Becoming a master prompt writer with the endless prompt framework generator.

💡Grow beyond the course with a treasure trove of resources and a private community with fellow L&D pros – because learning never stops.

👉 The best part? It’s self-paced. So you can steer your learning journey your way.

I'm not an AI expert and not pretending to be one. I'm just another tech nerd experiencing, learning and wanting to share with you.

Content that has caught my attention and might interest you too.

I'll be doing deep dives on all 3 reports with the key insights you should know over the next few weeks. For now, I invite you to check each out and form your own thoughts.👉 Check out this report from Degreed now.

I was super humbled to be asked to provide commentary on this one.The folks at MindTools pulled together all their research from the last 20 years of the industry in this one. A great view here of how the world has evolved but L&D hasn't always done the same.

This report comes from the Godfather of HR and L&D research - Josh Bersin.I'm in the process of reviewing this report as I type, and I've even used AI to help me synthesize the best bits (video on how to do that yourself soon). No doubt, much to chew on here from one of the leading voices in the research space.

"You will always fear what you don’t understand"Ra's al Ghul

If you're curious, here's three ways I can help you 👇

1/ My L&D toolkit stack with 20 free tools.2/ Grab a copy of my book with strategies and tools to thrive in a 9-5 career. 3/ Work with me on your projects and L&D challenges.--Please do share your thoughts with me on these pieces or anything I share on LinkedIn or hit 'reply'. Chat to you soon.

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