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Passage B
The Best Way to Learn: Creative Emulation
I have a young son. I notice every day that he learns something new. It did not take long for me to see he was watching me and then trying to do whatever I did. Utilizing this simple method he has learned to walk, run, open doors, and climb stairs. When he does these things he never looks exactly like I do. He supplements his actions with his own creative touch. I call how he learns creative emulation.
In some professional sports such as tennis, golf, bowling, and track, professional athletes travel from town to town and sometimes from country competing in weekly events. This is called the Pro Circuit or Pro Tour. The major events, such as the U.S., British, French, and Australian Opens in tennis are part of the Pro Circuit.
2.Leading Computer Companies
The two leading computer companies in the world are IBM (International Business Machines) and Microsoft. IBM specializes in hardware, and Microsoft specializes in software. Windows is clearly the dominant software format, and this may be Microsoft's greatest contribution to the computer industry. The PC (personal computer) was actually pioneered by other companies such as Apple, but IBM has met this challenge with PC's of its own and still dominates the field.
I used creative emulation to help me attain my goal of playing tennis on the pro circuit I used several methods to creatively emulate those players who were winning pro tournaments. I would read every tennis book I could find in the library and .bookstores. I examined back issues of every tennis magazine looking for articles on techniques. I would watch top pros on television. I would videotape pro matches and play them back, sometimes in slow motion. I would go to see pros play in person. As I studied I made observations. I wrote most of these ideas in my personal journal, which consisted of several notebooks and thousands of index cards. I used this journal to help me apply what I had observed. This process converted me from a third-string player on a second-rate college tennis team to someone who could win a few minor tournaments on the pro circuit. Along the way I developed one of the best approaches to learning tennis there is.
Shortly after finishing my Ph.D., I established a goal of starting a part-time business lecturing and conducting seminars. I used the same creative emulation to help me reach my goal. The next stage of my transition to the business world was my purchase of a computer in early 1985. I once again tried to learn all I could about how I could use this machine in business. I subscribed to computer periodicals. I learned how to use spreadsheet, database, word processing, graphics, desktop publishing, and outlining processing software. I wrote down almost every idea I get from my readings or my own thinking and published articles. I became a part-time computer hardware and software agent and consultant.
Because of the software skills I now had, I became confident of my ability to do more significant things in business. I realized that I could manage complex projects that involved many co-workers, customers, resources, and products. I started doing seminars to the public in 1988. These went so well that I was able to leave traditional education for good in 1989. My one-person home business bloomed over the years into a collection of larger enterprises which have taught at least 11 000 adults computer and business skills.
My success tells me that the key to successful creative emulation is to emulate the successful people, the doers of the world. The best way to emulate someone in business is to follow him or her around and make observations of what they do. If you do this long enough, with the right person, and apply what you observe you should succeed. The second best way to emulate is to listen or read about what your model businessperson or mentor does and how he does it. The more you know about how your mentor succeeds the more clues you will have to help you succeed.
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