I’m Smart! It’s Not My Fault By Suzette B. Viñas

I’m Smart! It’s Not My Fault

A reaction paper on Teaching Smart People How to Learn

            Nobody wants to be corrected in as much as there is no such thing as constructive criticism. It is just a nice way of saying that one is given feedback. Even the word “feedback” has some negative connotation attached to it because if it were positive then it is termed as praise, admiration or applause. So much so for those who have been handling key leadership positions since they have been used to giving orders or having the final say as how should things go about. This kind of authority can sometimes lead to overconfidence hence blocking the idea of continuous learning.

            As the article would put it, most people define learning as mere problem solving. And the sad part is when one considers himself/herself as not part of the problem. Most of the time, this method will work hence the company or organization succeeds. However when failure besets the problem being solved, not owning anything will eventually lead to blaming other people for the errors or mistakes that has transpired. There is no “looking inward step” involved in coming up with solutions. Now that I’ve read about it, I can relate to this feeling even though I’m not in a key level position but I have always been complaining on all the mini and maxi problems I troubleshoot every day. It’s usually one thing to another so the process has always been in the think and act department and not so much of reflecting as to why these things happened. In my defense there is just no room for reflection with so little time and so much to do. (See? That right there is a concrete example of people like me not owning up to their mistakes.)

            I also admired the part wherein the manager opens up and allowed his people to express their sentiments about his leadership. Because learning happens when one is able to master the art of listening. Listening without bias and listening without judgment. An open dialogue allows for admission of mistakes not because someone has to own the blame but rather to inculcate that learning is best appreciated at times when errors are committed or mistakes happen and lapses cannot be undone. Some people would just listen for listening’s sake without even comprehending. Or to listen and actually not listen because at the back of your mind you have it all figured out so you have no use for other people’s input. I have encountered leaders who were really good with what they do and also some of them who just passes on to you the mishaps they did and yet you get the first rate ticket to fixing the trouble and it’s your face being shouted at by an unyielding client, or and angry supplier or worst someone famous and irrational. And then we expect our subordinates to become leaders or follow our footsteps when we ourselves have not been able to deliver something that adds value to a person. Leaders who are paid higher because of what they do hence they are embarrassed to admit their faults. No one said that being a leader meant that because of your power and authority you stop being a human being. More so, some of our leaders forget that subordinates are humans as well. They have limits and boundaries but they can’t complain or else to quote our language for emphasis, “ sa kangkungan ka pupulutin.”.

            I’d like to focus on another issue presented in the article which is defensive reasoning. Argyris says that people who rarely experience failure end up not knowing how to deal with it effectively. In as much as children who were not exposed in the outdoors have not developed within them anti bodies hence they are very susceptible to diseases and common illnesses when exposed outside of their comfort zones. Nobody wants to fail and so we strive for success no matter what the cost is. We keep pushing ourselves even beyond the limits so as not to make room for gaps for failure to seep in. Being successful all the time robs you of the feeling of shame and guilt. It is easy to crumble and break into pieces when one is too focused on the things that do not even make them whole. But we always remember that when we fail and we fail big time, we realized the things that actually matter and we look at life at a better perspective.

            I end this article review by saying that there is no one true measure of intelligence in which we honestly say that if we reached that point we stop learning. Because a smart person knows in himself that there is so much that needs to be learned. Moreover, it is not right that we ridicule people because they ask questions or we criticize them as slow learners rather these people are those who have the courage to ask and hence by doing so they are able to enrich themselves with knowledge and they have humility worth emulating. A leader will be most remembered not by his exemplary achievements nor by his grand stature but he will be most remembered for that one great tragedy, failure or demise wherein he/she did not stop at being a failure. Rather took it upon him/her to transform it into a challenge worth pursuing and an obstacle that can actually be overcome. Remember Achilles’ heel and Superman’s kryptonite because as the song goes even the best fall down some time.