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Success Advice

If You Want to Expedite Your Success, Learn How to Learn

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teaching success
Midjourney

Learning how to learn has been one of the most important skills I’ve acquired in my life. I learned how to learn in the Dojo (Karate School) and it has led to continued success.

  • I knocked an opponent out in less than 15 seconds to become a bare knuckle Karate Champion
  • I became one of the top break dancers in the country
  • Turned an advertising agency into a multimillion dollar business in less than a year
  • Made AdAge’s coveted 40under40 list

The single thing that led to each of these accomplishments was knowing how to acquire the necessary skills so that I could learn the craft and increase my chances of succeeding.

I focused on developing a new skill every year

I’ll show you how this works in the context of my career and entrepreneurial ambitions.

I’m currently the Global SVP of Search and Content Marketing for the MullenLowe Group.

I slowly gained the skills to get me here. My plan was to develop a new skill every year that compounded to make me the best at digital marketing and eventually become a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

  • Skill one: Video Editing: First I picked up a book called Final Cut Pro For Dummies. I read and took action on the lessons. Soon I learned how to shoot and edit videos and started my own film production company.
  • Skill two: Website Design: Then I figured if my clients liked me for film, they would love me for website design. Because of this, I read many articles online which would teach me how to build a website.
  • Skill three: SEO and Social Media: The following year I learned SEO and Social Media marketing to help me increase traffic to the websites I was building.
  • Skill four: Learning to fail: The following years were hard because I had to buy my business partners out and close my video production company. I learned that I didn’t know enough about business to run my own. Learning this skill was not planned but that’s how life goes.
  • Skill five: Learning to recover: I then got a job and found a company that would pay me based on my skills.

“There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you’re not skilled. If you don’t study, if you don’t work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you’ll never be able to communicate with people – with your artistry – the way that you want….” – Will Smith

Once I got to the agency world, I learned that most of the people didn’t have the breadth of skills that I had. This made me confident in my client recommendations, confident that I could solve their problems and the results included making them millions doing digital marketing.

The point is that my skills built up overtime toward the goal of being good at digital marketing. The compounded value presented itself in financial reward (my salary), rapid career growth and the satisfaction knowing I helped CEOs and CMOs of major brands find success in digital.

If you are looking to succeed in business, a sport, or your career; then learn the following four tips which will help you be a superstar:

1. Pick a skill

First, chose a skill that aligns with one of your bigger goals. For example, I want to be a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) one day, so I am slowly building those skills over time like I explained above. Video lead to website design which led to SEO and Social Media. Once I learned the hard lesson that I didn’t know how to run a business that became the new skill I started learning.

Action Step: Pick a skill that aligns with a bigger goal. Overtime, you build up skills that compliment each other and help you accomplish the bigger goal.

2. Deliberate Practice

In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well he says, “ The only way to learn how to write is by writing.” He is absolutely right. Repetition is the mother of all skill. I learned to fight by fighting. I learned how to edit videos by editing videos. Set some time aside to practice your skill everyday. If your skill is learning to code then use it to build a project that forces you to code everyday. It’s important that you put time into deliberate practice.

Action Step: Put time on a calendar to develop a skill. Find a group of people to practice with and exchange notes. Practicing with other people can help keep you motivated.

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi

3. Keep Doing

Confucius said, “I see and I forget. I hear and remember. I do and I understand.” Once you have gained a decent level of aptitude in your selected skill, keep on doing. Chose another skill complementing the one you are developing. This way both skills develop over time and you get a deeper understanding of each. If you are learning how to code then learn SEO. They compliment each other well and people who know how to code don’t necessarily know how to optimize code for search engines.

Action Step: Pick another skill and repeat step two. This time keep in mind how you can apply what you learn in skill one to skill two.

4. Earn while you learn

Getting paid while you learn is the best. Once you are adept enough in the skill you are learning get someone to pay you to apply that skill. This will not only motivate you to keep learning but you are getting paid to practice. I’ve done this with every digital marketing skill I’ve acquired. I learned Local SEO by getting paid to building the Local SEO product for a company called LocalVox. This worked out because I knew general SEO well and I learned how to learn so I knew I could learn Local SEO quickly.

Action Step: Find someone to pay you as you learn your skill.

The repetition of learning a new skill every year teaches you how to learn. You will slowly build up your own tricks and process to make acquiring and retaining new skills easier.

What is a new skill you desire to learn? Let us know in the comments below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Lavall Chichester is a growth focused digital marketer who has helped brands make millions of dollars on and off line. He made AdAge’s 2015 40 Under 40 list for turning the search group at MullenLowe Profero into a muti-million dollar business in less than a year. He has 13+ years of developing digital marketing strategies for brands like Apple, Western Union, Kaiser Permanente, Vitamin Water and others. Lavall founded adculture.com and GrowthSkills where he gives digital advertising advice to help people grow their careers and businesses.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
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The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

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