What’s the difference between “training” and “education”?
Lewis Hamilton.
His job – the thing he’s paid to do – is to race a Formula1 car.
He trains for this.
Neck strength. Response time. Learning the race tracks.
This is training.
Improving the skills required in the job, role or responsibility we have.
He will never replace a tyre. Or tune an engine.
He’ll never race that Formula1 car in heavy snow.
Yet Lewis spends time doing just that.
Spending time learning about the wider organisation and team.
The mechanics. The data analysts. Even practicing in snow and other non-race conditions.
This is education.
Being exposed to a wider, holistic view allows us to apply those learnings to other unrelated activities; the bigger picture and how you contribute.
Many organisations provide training.
But education requires trust, flexibility and access.
We must be permitted to visit the pits and ask questions that might seem silly.
For that approach to be normalised; not reacted to with a “stay in your lane” response.
It requires a culture of openness.
A culture where information isn’t hoarded, but shared seemlessly, readily, and easily.
Because you never know when you need your best drivers to adapt to an unfamiliar race condition.
