Our daughter is (slowly) getting her first tooth. We’re excited about this new development, although my wife is sad she won’t get to see her “little gummy smile ever again”.
This got me thinking about what it feels like to go through or learn something for the very first time. It’s tough! As adults, it’s easy to not think too deeply on something as simple as a first tooth. But in reality, this is a huge change that our daughter is going through and just one of many, many more she has on the horizon.
When we learn and eventually become competent (or even master something), we lose a lot of our ability to remember how it felt when we were first learning. In short, our empathy and understanding of what that person is going through is not at the level is probably should be at.
When I first learned Google Analytics years ago, I was blown away, excited and overwhelmed at all of the sections, tabs and areas to click-through on their interface. It was intimidating and tough to feel like I was really learning a lot in those first few sessions. After a while of practice and using the tool with the right approach and mindset, I became a pro and could quickly find what I was looking for in a matter of clicks.
As a marketer, a dad and even as a society, I think we would all benefit from spending a few extra seconds things about what someone else could be thinking when they are learning a new skill or concept, and how we can support and help them as they grow.