The Question’s Too Big: A beginner’s dumb questions

Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash

Some thoughts about learning on the job

My first real job started in 1987. I joined the international design consultancy Ove Arup & Partners in London as an engineer working on some of the world's most innovative buildings. After spending too long at university, I was impatient to get started. Meanwhile, my experienced colleagues had worked on ground-breaking buildings such as Centre George Pompidou in Paris and the Sydney Opera House. I wanted to be as good as they were, to know what they knew and to develop the skills they had developed. I wanted to make a name for myself and to do so quickly.

Let's face it, I was a pain in the butt, and the only thing I became known for was asking dumb questions. I was that familiar arrogant new kid - entitled, opinionated and with all the gear but no idea. I expected everyone to package their expertise and hand it over for my benefit. Yep, I'm blushing about my selfish attitude even now. As a beginner, I didn't know what I didn't know, and the most important things I didn't know about were humility, relatability and the meta-skill of learning on the job. Fortunately, things began to change for me one day when I asked Martin, a senior director, how to design tall buildings. His response has stayed with me ever since. He said,

"The problem is, you're asking a question too big to answer. You need to break it down. Start smaller, start somewhere else. Then, I might be able to help you."

At first, I felt discouraged by what he'd said. I was hoping for a lead, a route map, something to get me started on high-rise, but there was nothing to go on. In the following weeks, I experienced many false starts and unproductive conversations before realising he'd provided me with something better. He'd given me a clue to unlock that topic and anything else I wanted to learn about - I was only thinking about myself, the student. I wasn't thinking about him, the teacher.

I expect it's the same in all fields. People do their jobs for numerous reasons. For instance, they might be passionate about serving a community, want to use a particular talent or run a business. Training the inexperienced is rarely on the list of primary motivators. When you understand your colleagues have other goals and don't care much about you, you realise that a different approach might be needed - one that puts them at the centre of your development rather than you. It's a paradox that can be difficult to see, particularly if you're trying too hard and ambition has blinded you.

You need to relax, loosen up, observe what's really happening and act accordingly.

The idea of turning an indigestible feast into numerous tasty snacks to aid consumption may seem obvious. We know that much about learning, so what's the big deal? The thing is, I'm not talking about any kind of learning - this isn't school or college - it's learning on the job. There's no curriculum, and the teachers aren't here to teach, nor have they been trained to teach. The learning material is what you happen to be working on, and you have little control over who is teaching you, so your learning experience will be pretty chaotic. So what do you need to do?

Strangely, obtaining the most from your reluctant workmate teachers is similar to encouraging a reluctant learner. Break things down to make it easier for them, sure. But also make it enjoyable and keep them wanting more. Praise them when it's going well, and point out what they've missed when you don't understand something. Above all, know that the relationship is mainly transactional, so find ways of making their life easier, perhaps by taking things off their to-do list or demonstrating that what you've learnt is improving the team's performance.

Learning on the job is as much a social skill as a technical one. You need to approach the right people in the right way, asking questions that pique their interest and curiosity so that you receive enthusiastic answers. You need to find ways to encourage them to tell stories - particularly stories of their successes and failures, what they learned from them and how their expertise developed. What you learn will largely be dictated by their priorities, not yours.

The other day, David, a younger teammate, asked me how to produce construction drawings. He's at an early stage in his career and doesn't yet understand the enormity of his question. He thinks a package of information is waiting for him. He thinks he'll have the answer soon and without much effort. Oh boy.

I smiled and said,

"Your question's too big. I can't answer it."

But I also said,

"What I can do when I have time is help you break it down into many smaller questions, and then, with the rest of the team, you might be able to make some progress."