The Need for Reversed Learning

Issue 149, February 29, 2024

Is it really true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?  If you’re an old dog in a digital marketplace, you don’t have a choice. Let’s say you are an editor. You used to work with writers to create provocative, well-researched, surprising articles. Today, you have to write titles, headlines, and content to optimize search and game the online systems. Or let’s say you are a marketer. You used common sense, judgment, and intuition to develop strategic marketing campaigns. Now, you use data, analytics, algorithms, and AI to optimize and measure your messaging. Leaders who used to monitor the progress of teams in weekly in-person meetings have had to learn how to manage individuals who work remotely and relearn on-screen physical cues instead of reading the room.

What we have been doing, probably without realizing it, is reversed learning.

Unlearning Consequences

Reversed learning is a potentially anxiety-producing shift that challenges our concepts and beli…