Steps vs concepts

Watching my high-school daughter study chemistry is a little window into the process of learning.

Her textbook explains the steps to solve a particular type of problem.

So the practice questions are easy.

But at the end of the chapter, there are questions for which the solution isn't obvious.

At that point, what matters is whether she's mastered the underlying concepts.

Does she really know the difference between “resonance structures” and “isomers”?

Sometimes she's curious enough to ask focused questions, and I can help.

Sometimes she's so stressed that she just stares at it in frustration. I don't blame her. This is hard stuff.

So is your CRM.

Having someone explain the steps to get a particular result is one thing. And it's useful enough, for what it's worth.

But if you don’t understand the underlying concepts, the steps are just a quick fix.

To work through the hard problems, to figure out what's going on when things don't seem to add up, you need the underlying concepts:

• What is this data?

• Where did it come from?

• Why does it appear this way in this report, but another way in that search result?

• How is all of this information connected together?

When you're stressed, you might just have to stare at it in frustration.

But when you're curious, you can ask your CiviCRM specialist or coach to help you understand what's going on.

Those conversations are a little slower, and don't always produce the immediate gratification that comes with a set of easy steps.

But they give you the understanding that will empower you at the times when you really do need answers “right now.”

All the best,
A.