An Inquisitive Mind: Driving Innovation Through Continuous Learning
We are constantly faced with challenges, whether in our personal lives or at work—but let’s focus on work. From issues related to design, management, implementation, or coordination, you name it. We often find ourselves in situations where we may lack the knowledge or feel completely overwhelmed. But don’t feel ashamed in these moments. Instead, step back and celebrate the opportunity in front of you: a learning opportunity.
School and formal education are crucial, laying the foundation for understanding whatever field you’re in. But we need more than that. Just as a house's framework requires walls, wiring, a roof, and more to become a house, our minds, knowledge, and skills need constant upgrades, repairs, and additions. Like our projects, our growth is in continuous flux and evolution. Closing your mind to new knowledge or limiting your interests isn’t sustainable in a constantly changing industry.
Learning can be as simple as mastering a new command in software or figuring out how to format a file. Learning is learning, no matter how small. Each day will bring new opportunities, and the size of those opportunities will depend on what arises. With an inquisitive mind, you don’t see problems—you see potential. Continuous learning is essential for adapting to the dynamic innovations of tomorrow.
How do I know where to go for help? There is a lot of junk.
Finding the right resources to solve your problem can be tricky. Search engines, ads, and analytics can make it overwhelming. Over time, you'll develop your own rhythm for navigating these systems and spotting what you need. It’s always a good idea to start with the software’s help section, though that usually covers only the essential functions, like where everything is, how to use it, and what the developers intend you to do with it.
When the solution you need is more unique or complex, you may have to dig deeper into forums, blogs, or community discussions where others have thought beyond the standard "out-of-the-box" solutions. Help guides won’t always provide the answer. Still, if you encounter an issue, there’s always a solution, even if it’s not what you expected.
Online learning platforms and conferences are also excellent opportunities to learn from industry professionals who are passionate about exploring innovative workflows and software. These spaces offer technical knowledge and provide insights into creative problem-solving, emerging trends, and practical tips from real-world experience, allowing you to grow beyond standard practices and stay ahead in a fast-evolving industry.
The Role of Curiosity in Problem-Solving
Curiosity is essential in problem-solving. When faced with an issue or situation, curiosity helps you break it down into manageable pieces and seek out creative ways to work through it. Curiosity is asking “how” and “why” when faced with a new problem. This allows you to get to the root of the problem and not resolve things superficially.
Innovation was born from curiosity. Your colleagues, who constantly faced a similar problem for years and on multiple projects, some of these people went on to develop apps and software that help others and reduce those once-common annoyances.
I love the saying, “See a need, fill a need.” Curiosity drives that saying. To be curious requires continuous learning. You are constantly seeking out features and functions, understanding how they work and how you can manipulate them. We don’t know what we need until we know what we have. Learn what you have in front of you, let your curiosity take charge, and explore the whys.
Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Sharing
At conferences like AUGI CON, Autodesk University, BILT, BIM Coordinators Summit, and others, you find passionate and dynamic like-minded professionals who are just as curious and eager for knowledge. Connect with these people, join conversations, and talk about your experiences. That alone is the basis of collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.
We learn from each other. Finding that a lot of us have experienced similar issues. How did they solve it? Did they solve it? Sharing stories and experiences allows you and your peers the opportunity for growth and understanding. Even the simple task of explaining batch plots and defining the page setup for all the sheets.
Don’t forget failure is still winning. This is harder if you are late on a submission and have to get it in. You can’t always take time to solve the problem before you. Push forward, meet your deliverable, but don’t forget your experience. Talk about it with your peers. Reach out to groups and forums. You can still learn and grow even after the experience has passed.
Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity
It is easy to become discouraged when you fail. You probably worked so hard and did a lot of research, which didn’t solve anything. Frustration and aggravation can leave you feeling deflated. Trust me when I say all that is important, necessary even. Learning requires something to drive it, a fuel that makes it impossible for you to stop thinking.
Something to say to yourself when faced with a problem. There is no such thing as success without failure. Embrace and celebrate the opportunity, as it is an opportunity to learn, to explore, to grow. You can solve problems without failure, but then you probably aren’t learning something. That was previously acquired knowledge, still awesome, it means you already had that learning opportunity.
Staying Ahead of Industry Trends
Read, explore, test, discuss—staying ahead means staying engaged. The AEC industry is evolving rapidly, with new technologies and solutions emerging daily. While it's impossible to keep up with everything, that’s not the goal. Instead, let your curiosity drive you to explore new discoveries, test innovative workflows, and learn about the solutions shaping the future.
Focus on what will support you in your daily tasks. What are the most relevant advancements in your field? What are your peers doing to solve similar problems? How are the biggest challenges being addressed, and which trends are gaining traction? Trends are born from necessity, and innovations emerge as solutions to those needs. By staying connected to the issues that matter most to your work, you ensure that you are not just reacting to change but anticipating it.
The Birth of Innovation
As we seek out new knowledge, it's natural to consider how it will affect our work, tasks, and deliverables. We weigh the potential gains and losses, thinking about how this knowledge could impact our projects. This is where innovation is born. Innovation isn't just about groundbreaking discoveries—it's about applying what we've learned to improve and refine the way we work.
Learning is not just for children; it’s a lifelong tool that supports and nurtures us. It equips us with the information we need to optimize our workflows, solve problems more effectively, and continuously push the boundaries of what we can achieve. Every new piece of knowledge has the potential to spark innovation if we’re open to applying it in new ways.
Aim to Learn Something Daily
Learning should inspire you to improve yourself, helping you find ways to reduce limitations and eliminate redundancies in your workflow. Start by addressing your own challenges—chances are, others have faced the same issues. Seek out existing solutions and see if you can learn from them and implement their approaches. By doing so, you're not just solving problems but also building on the knowledge of others.
Learning goes beyond problem-solving. It’s about opening your mind to new possibilities, exploring different perspectives, and discovering innovative approaches that can enhance your work in unexpected ways. Each day is an opportunity to grow, whether by learning something small or unlocking a new way of thinking.
Feeding that inquisitive mind
Go find a problem, something small that bothers you. Take 5 mins, can you fix it? Yes? Fantastic, find another problem. No? Type your problem into a search engine, exactly as you are experiencing it, and explore the possibilities. 2 or 3 of those should do for the first go. Did you learn something you can attempt to apply? Try it out. If it doesn’t work, rise and repeat.
Solving problems is an innovation. It could have a small impact or a major one, depending on the problem. Innovations can be unique to you or to the greater community. Which is why it is important to collaborate and share knowledge as we acquire it. Help our peers solve problems or provide them with a spark of inspiration for their own innovation. Knowledge doesn’t have to end with you, share it. We can always acquire more knowledge, embrace it. Allow that knowledge to support you and evolve with it.
