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Weekly Reflection #4 - Learning, Experimentation, and Beginner's Mind
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Each week, I share one insight. One piece of wisdom. One question to reflect on. (and a little Lagniappe) InsightA healthy culture of learning and experimentation is a cornerstone of high-performing teams. DORA’s research across 39,000+ professionals over the last 10+ years shows us that a climate for learning is a significant predictor of both software delivery performance and organizational performance. Teams with generative cultures show 30% higher organizational performance. Even more shockingly, research in 2021 showed us that Elite performers deploy 973x more frequently, recover 6570x faster, and are twice as likely to meet their goals. We recently interviewed Patrick Dubois on Book Overflow, coauthor of The DevOps Handbook and the person who coined the term “DevOps.” When asked what motivates him, he said, “What makes me tick is I want to learn new stuff. How do I get my daily fix of learnings?” I love that after decades of experience, Patrick is still excited about learning new things. You can’t mandate curiosity. But you can cultivate the conditions for it to grow, with astounding results. Wisdom“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
— Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the concept called Shoshin (Beginner’s Mind). It’s a Zen practice of cultivating an attitude of openness. It’s easy to shut down new ideas when we think we’ve seen it all before. It is such a gift to give yourself space to look at a problem with child-like curiosity. ReflectionWhen has a fresh perspective led you to a learning breakthrough? How can you cultivate a beginner’s mind in your daily work? Lagniappe
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Weekly Reflections Newsletter
Practical insights on platform engineering, developer experience, and building teams that ship. Each issue is written to be useful, actionable, and applicable. No filler, no promotions-only emails. Enter your email and sign up for free right now.
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