50% Unknown

Heey there,

Ever applied to a job knowing full well that you don’t know how to do at least 30% of your future tasks?

With the pace of how tech is evolving and new skill sets become sellable almost weekly, there's a delicate balance between leveraging what you know and diving into what you don't. It's about embracing the unfamiliar, taking calculated risks, and learning on the go.

But first.
Did you know that a “power nap” may actually help your powers with “offline learning?”

I’ll explain at the end of today’s course.

🚀 IMPORTANT NOTE:

We'd love to have you on a live event hosted by Growth Tribe where I'll talk about our journey with setting up a content system. 🧑🏻‍💻

It's next Wednesday!

Also, we still have a slot open: As you might have seen, we have had to create a 'Wait List' for new clients as we've been fully booked for the foreseeable future.

However, as Saasmic is continuously growing, we now have a few openings. We have some preplanned clients, but if you are part of a mid-market SaaS/tech business and are looking to scale » hit us up.

Why we are not a good fit:
1. If you don't yet have product-market fit,
2. you don't have any marketing activities yet,
3. if you mostly sell to enterprise clients,
4. if you are looking for order takers,
5. if you want to do boring marketing & don't want good laughs,
we are probably not a great fit for you.

However, if you find these insights valuable, the best way to support our work is by inviting your friends to become Dot Connecters and learn more about Connecting The Dots between marketing activities and financial goals.

Topic Of Today

• 🎙 Episode Highlight: One Foot In The Unkown

• 📚 Deep Dive: Mastering Growth

• 📌 Actionable Advice

• 📚 Homework

• 💡 Pro Tip

📽️Connecting The Dots: Ricardo & Fred Linfjärd📽️

In a recent episode of Connecting The Dots, Ricardo Ghekiere (Founder of Saasmic), talked to Fred Linfjärd and shared one of his philosophies about learning.

The value of taking on projects where you know 50% of the tasks and are clueless about the other 50%.

Why?

Because that's where the magic of learning and growth truly unfolds.

1. 🎙 An Episode Highlight: One Foot In The Unkown

Ricardo talked about how he applied Briand Balfour’s thoughts on the balance of diving into the known and unknown in one's career.

This balance pushes you to learn on the spot, expanding your skill set and knowledge base.
It's about finding that sweet spot where you're comfortable enough to make progress but challenged enough to grow.

Key Takeaways:

1. ~50/50 Learning Approach:
Engage in projects where half of the tasks are familiar, and the other half pushes you into new territories. This approach accelerates learning and keeps you agile.

2. Avoid Extreme Imbalances:
Of course, the balance does not necessarily have to be 50-50. The point however is to find projects where you have to figure out/learn how to do certain parts, while you are comfortable with a bigger chunk.

While a 50/50 balance may be ideal, and as long as you have at least 25% in the unknown it still may be challenging enough 👇

Being in a situation where what you barely know 10-20% can be overwhelming, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of direction.

3. Learn How to Learn:
Embrace the unknown and use it as an opportunity to expand your horizons. It's not about having all the answers but about learning how you can speed up your learning curve in unknown situations, and learn what to focus on when faced with blind spots in a project.

2. 📚 Deep Dive: Understanding & Leveraging Small Victories

Brian Balfour's essay on learning growth marketing talks about the importance of continually evolving and adapting in the marketing world.

Here's a deeper look at some of the key points he makes:

👉 Generalist or Specialist?

Mastering the fundamentals:
Balfour references Edward Burger's book "The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking" to highlight the importance of mastering the basics.

Just as a master musician can make a simple tune sound exquisite, a marketer must master the foundational elements of their craft to be able to create outstanding results with simple tools.

Growth Fundamentals:
He also identifies four core fundamentals for growth: Data Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, User Psychology, and Storytelling. These are the pillars upon which all other skills and tactics are built.

👉 Choosing what you work on:
In order to optimise learning and career trajectory, one should choose projects that have high organisational impact but are unpopular. These projects are typically challenging and messy, but they offer the most learning opportunities and visibility within an organisation.

👉 Accomplishments over Credentials:
With the pace of change today, Balfour argues that credentials (like degrees or certificates) are less important than actual accomplishments. Platforms like GitHub, Medium, and Dribbble allow professionals to showcase their work, making it easier for employers to assess actual skills and achievements.

Although I would argue that high-level education, almost any field, will still benefit you way more than cost you (I mean unless you have crippling university debts).

The point of higher-level education today isn't necessarily to learn what you'll do later as a profession, but it can still act as a major booster in your ability to learn and be accountable for your knowledge.

After all, Brian also went to university, even if in a completely different field.

👉 Build a platform:
Balfour credits much of his professional success to his blog. He feels it’s imperative to build a personal platform, whether it's through blogging, speaking engagements, videos, or other mediums. A personal platform not only showcases your expertise but also attracts opportunities.

👉 How to be Proactive vs. Reactive:
With success comes a flood of opportunities, but Balfour warns against becoming purely reactive. Instead, he suggests a proactive approach, treating career and growth decisions as experiments. This involves forming hypotheses, designing and running experiments, analyzing results, and iterating based on learnings.

👉 “Get” a coach:
While many professionals understand the value of having a coach, few actually seek one out. You don’t necessarily have to have someone continuously coaching you.

However, finding someone who has proven expertise and understanding how their decisions lead to their success can be a significant boost in your learning curve.

Of course, it’s even better if you can reach out to them when you feel like you’re stuck. Someone who is ready to share unbiased opinions and asks thought-provoking questions, helping you see problems and solutions from new perspectives.

3. 📌 Actionable Advice

Master the Basics:

Before diving into advanced strategies, ensure you have a strong grasp of the foundational elements of your craft.

This will serve as the bedrock upon which you can build more complex skills and strategies.

Seek High-Impact Projects:

Look for projects within your organisation that, while challenging or unpopular, have the potential to make a significant impact.

These projects will not only accelerate your learning but also increase your visibility and influence.

Document Your Achievements:

In a digital age, showcasing your work is crucial. Regularly update your portfolio, blog, or personal website with recent accomplishments, projects, and case studies.

Of course, goes without saying 👉 spend more time on learning than updating your accomplishments.

Find a Mentor or Coach:

Seek out experienced professionals in your field who can offer guidance, provide feedback, and challenge your thinking.

A good mentor can accelerate your growth and open doors to new opportunities.

4. 📚 Homework:

Deep Dive into Fundamentals:

Pick one of the growth fundamentals (Data Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, User Psychology, or Storytelling) and dedicate a week to deepening your understanding of it.

This could involve online courses, reading books, or practical exercises.

Identify a High-Impact/Low Popularity Project:

Look within your current role or organisation for a project that might be challenging but has the potential for significant impact. Draft a proposal or action plan for tackling this project.

Start Building Your Platform:

If you don't already have a personal blog or website, consider setting one up.

It can also be a social platform, like Linkedin.

If you do, commit to publishing a new piece of content related to your field in the next two weeks.

Seek Feedback:

Share a recent project or accomplishment with a trusted colleague or mentor and ask for feedback.

Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and growth.

5. 💡 Pro Tip:

Embrace the Unknown:

When diving into a new project or task, don't shy away from the unfamiliar. Remember Ricardo's advice: finding projects where you know 50% of what to do and figuring out the rest can be the most rewarding and educational experiences.

This approach not only accelerates your learning curve but also fosters adaptability and resilience.

Don't underestimate the power of rest:

If you're stuck or feel overwhelmed, sometimes the best strategy is to take a step back, rest, and let your subconscious mind work its magic.

Fun fact answer:  
While the idea of "sleeping on a problem" has been around for ages, there's scientific evidence to back up the benefits of a good night's sleep for problem-solving and learning. During the deeper stages of sleep, particularly REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, our brains are highly active.

Several studies have shown that during this phase, the brain consolidates and processes information from the day, making connections between new knowledge and existing memories.

Isn't that just fun?


Keep learning and growing! 🚀 ❤️

New episodes of Connecting The Dots & Business Companion are coming out regularly, so stay tuned.

Subscribe to our podcast and keep an eye on your inbox for the next edition of our newsletter as well.

LinkedIn posts worth reading this week:

1. What most LinkedIn thought-leaders forget
Why growth hacks won't cut it.

2. Why content for content's sake is worthless
Do you know why you are creating content?

3. Are your buyers in buying mode?
Great. Then you might be too late!