Even Teachers Have to Learn

I recently started reading “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins. I am only through Chapter 2, so this is not a review.

Chapter 2 is titled “Accelerate Your Learning.” The premise is straightforward: when transitioning into a new role, learning should be deliberate, structured, and intentional. Not passive. Not assumed.

That landed differently than I expected.

I have spent much of my career in both technology and higher education. Learning is supposed to be something I am good at. But Chapter 2 reminded me that knowing how to learn and actually doing it deliberately are two different things. It is easy to assume that experience fills the gaps. It does not always.

Transitioning into engineering management has reinforced that for me. There is a lot I do not know yet, and the only way through it is to be an active, humble participant in my own development.

A structured learning plan is not just a tool for new employees or career changers. It is a habit worth building at every stage.

I am curious how others approach this. Do you have a deliberate learning practice during transitions? Or does it tend to happen more organically? How do you handle learning more broadly?