Agility isn't just about transforming your way of working; it's about transforming your mindset. Agile methodologies and the SAFe framework emphasize incremental development and focusing on one thing at a time. Whether you're in software development, engineering, or simply expanding your knowledge, the principles of the SAFe framework can revolutionise your approach. In this article, I'll share my journey of applying incremental learning to learn new and deeper skills rapidly – a technique I refer to as extreme learning.
Extreme learning is a method I have developed to quickly gain expertise in an area you wish to master. It's your secret weapon for:
Embarking on a new venture: Whether you've joined a new company or want to deepen your knowledge in a specific field.
Tackling multiple learning objectives: When you're juggling various topics simultaneously.
Balancing learning with full-time work: For those who seek to build their knowledge while maintaining a demanding work schedule.
Cultivating a love for continuous learning: Transforming reading from a task into a pleasure.
Aside from enhancing your personal knowledge, engaging in an extreme learning sprint brings benefits also to your employer.
The age-old wisdom holds true: Learn it, do it, teach it. This principle can be applied to learning through reading as well. After each learning milestone, write a summary of what you learned, and ideally, share your insights with your colleagues. You’ll learn most when you read, discuss, and teach about the topic at hand.
Since incorporating extreme learning into my journey, the impact on my organization and clients has been noticeable. The feedback from my training sessions has exceeded my expectations:
"Sami possesses knowledge on a much broader scale than covered in the course, providing valuable perspectives.”
"Sami had answers to all of my questions.”
"Sami has a skill for making learning an enjoyable experience!”
I embarked on this journey to become a better trainer, but how did I achieve this? I applied elements from the SAFe model for incremental development to building my own knowledge. Let's delve into the process.
The Reading Marathon Challenge: Read 10 Books in 5 Months
This is the challenge of extreme learning: Read ten carefully chosen books in just five months.
These five months are broken down into ten two-week sprints, each dedicated to reading and digesting a new book. At the end, you will have completed ten sprints, resulting in something of a reading marathon. As a result, the learning effect is compounded by combining the new knowledge from each book. Here's how it works:
Select ten items: books, trainings, or workshops.
One increment consists of a two-week sprint:
Week 1: Read one book and write a two-page summary.
Week 2: Relax from reading or use this time as a buffer to catch up and digest your learnings.
Remember to focus on one book at a time!
Repeat these steps for the next four items.
After completing the first five books, you’ve completed a reading half-marathon! Take a three to four week break from reading to keep it interesting and celebrate your progress.
After the break, repeat the process for the remaining five items. When you finish the entire list, take time to digest and structure everything you've learned. Share your knowledge within your organisation, enhancing your learning. Reading ten books in just five months can be called a reading marathon - remember to celebrate it!
After each book, I wrote a two-page summary of the key learnings, which I made available for all my colleagues. It's a quick way for them to understand key points without reading those 2500 pages.
I must admit, this is an extreme approach, requiring willpower to say no to other things during the process. But if you seek fast results, it's worth trying - perhaps once a year!
Sami has 20 years of experience in different deliveries in service, project and later in agile world. Sami was first trained in project management and making certain project plans. Then he heard about agility and SAFe and how journeys can be made differently. Nowadays Sami teaches, coaches, and implements agile journeys.