Learning to Fly: Exploring Themes of Growth, Knowledge, and Inspiration
Introduction
The phrase "learning to fly" carries a potent metaphorical weight, representing the acquisition of new skills, the pursuit of freedom, and the overcoming of challenges. This article examines the theme of learning to fly as it manifests in various contexts, from the literal act of piloting an aircraft to the metaphorical journey of personal growth and the exploration of knowledge. We will delve into the insights offered by Tom Petty's song "Learning to Fly" and Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell's book of the same name, analyzing how these works illuminate the multifaceted nature of learning and the pursuit of excellence.
Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly": A Metaphor for Life's Journey
Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne wrote the song "Learning to Fly" together for Petty’s 1991 album, Into the Great Wide Open. The song, which hit No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, is about life. Petty has said it was inspired by an airplane pilot he saw on television, who said learning to fly wasn’t too hard but landing was harder.
Petty opens the track by singing the words Well, I started out and then he, in a very spare and poetic way, talks about beginning on a “dirty road” while “all alone.” Such is an easy metaphor for life itself or for life as an artist. Though the phrase “you are not alone” is popular today on social media, it isn’t quite true. Especially for an artist. We are born alone, die alone, and create, in the most granular sense of the word, on our own, too. But if you’re lucky, some magic can happen along the way, either from someone else for you or summoned from your own soul. And this is where Petty’s song goes. As we walk on the road towards… something, we find there is more to life than immediately meets the eye. In this way, it can feel like learning to fly when we discover some secrets. Petty knows this as one who has long been on the creative, curious search.
In this way, Petty both provides hope and caution. There is more to life. It’s not just walking a dirty road in a still world, there is an opportunity to soar, to fly, to rise above. But as anyone who has achieved their dreams, enjoyed a night of drinking with good friends, or anything else that provides a sense of something “high,” what goes up must come down. And, as Petty says, coming down is the hardest thing. So, be cautious as well as curious. For the rest of the song, Petty talks about what may happen in the world around the singer-protagonist. The sea may “burn” and the rocks may “melt”-something that seems more and more possible and troubling given today’s rising global temperatures. But nevertheless, the way to go ahead is trying to achieve one’s best-to fly-even if there is a downside, darkness, horror, and a comedown.
"Learning to Fly" by Collison & Parcell: Knowledge Management as a Pathway to Success
Collison & Parcell have put together a very down to earth approach to knowledge management. They offer simple wisdom:
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- talk to people with the T-shirt: been there, done that
- learn, learn, learn: before, during and after
- cultivate a community: for tacit transfer and to keep the repository alive and fresh
- establish a network: to gather news and keep yourself aware
Way too may KM projects chase content, without community, technology without a strategy and compile best practices with no way to validate and refresh. Chris and Geoff have the right spirit and advice when it comes to starting - jump right in and avoid the gradual immersion, ask some key questions, "What are your critical issues?" listen deeply and go with the flow! Readers will find their people centric views and emphasis on learning, a refreshing and effective way to make sense of knowledge.work.
In particular, their book is easy to navigate, clearly organized and easy to absorb in small chunks - there is a deep lesson there for any aspiring knowledge manager. They certainly hit the high spots in my book: yellowpages so you can find people that know, communities of practice for continuous learning, practices for testing and validating captured content to avoid GIGO (garbage in garbage out) and strategies to embed knowledge in role structures, processes and company lore. A key aspect of learning to fly is the use personal and 3rd party stories to convey meaning and change mindsets. This helps to center the prescriptive aspects and changes the tone from a fieldbook to a readable engaging text. Beyond the theory - here's 'the' hands-on guide to making KM work for real.
As a practitioner of KM, I recognise and appreciate many of the initiatives and projects the authors successfully introduced and gained adoption of throughout BP. It's also refreshing to read that they had learning points to review too. This book illustrates how to achieve the ultimate goal - making KM part of the way to do business. KM is, after all, just good management, it shouldn't be regarded as an add-on, something extra to do.
The book is both a reference book and a blueprint. Part One: Overview sets the context for and defines knowledge management. Part Two: Tools and Techniques describes six very useful tools for managing knowledge. The inclusion of real-life examples like BP's "Connect" project tremendously helpful in understanding what is involved in building buy-in for a searchable intranet knowledge directory through which all staff can search for people with relevant knowledge and experience. In Part Three: Today and Tomorrow, the authors share practical advice about embedding knowledge management in the organisation. Appendices guide the reader to resources for inspiration, people and technology. Internet style pages enable easy navigation through and between chapters. The book has received critical acclaim from a number of industry leaders.
Personal Experiences: Embracing the Challenge of Flight
One individual's experience with learning to fly provides a tangible example of the transformative power of pursuing a challenging goal. Driven by admiration for their father, who was a pilot in his late 20s, this person decided to take flying lessons. The early morning drives to the hangar, fueled by hot coffee and the open road, became a source of renewal. The aircraft, a little cherry red and white low-winged plane, brought a big smile to their face every time they saw her perched and glinting in the sun, ready to fly.
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The initial lessons involved reviewing flight mechanics, terminology, and conducting pre-flight inspections. The exhilaration of lift off never got old, as the concrete on either side smeared to a dizzy blur. At a mere 1000 feet elevation, the landscape could be surveyed from a totally different perspective, one that particularly suited and interested them as a landscape architect. As a visual vs. instrument pilot, they were only permitted to fly in clear weather conditions.
Although they never completed their pilot's license, learning to fly provided an enormous boost that was needed to change their life; to leave their job and move to a different part of the country.
Finding Your Wings: Overcoming Challenges and Discovering Potential
The world of cheerleading offers another compelling example of learning to fly, not in the literal sense, but in the metaphorical sense of overcoming challenges and discovering hidden potential. The story of Max, a 12-year-old tomboy who discovers a talent for competitive cheerleading, illustrates the transformative power of stepping outside one's comfort zone.
Max usually hangs out with and plays with boys, but when she decides to try some tumbling on a trampoline at a park, it leads her to entirely different world full of glitter, tights, dance and other “girly” things that she doesn’t like. The story is geared toward “tweens” about the same age as Max with age-appropriate material and language. The dialogue is realistic for the girls who are practicing in the TNT Force gym. The descriptions of the moves and the sport of cheerleading is excellent as a reader of any age will learn more about the sport and what types of practice and training these young people do in order to perform such a show for the judges and the spectators. What also makes the story a good one for readers about the same age as Max is that she is constantly feeling conflicted. She hates all the glitter, tight shorts and makeup, yet she knows she is good at the dances, tumbling and flips. She feels out of place and feels the entire gamut of emotions while at the gym from isolation to elation. She looks to adults, including the coaches and her father, for guidance.
Conversations with Tom Petty: Insights into Creativity and Craft
Paul Zollo’s book, “Conversations with Tom Petty,” offers a unique perspective on the creative process and the journey of a successful musician. The book captures Petty’s voice perfectly, with Zollo inserting stage notes like [Laughs] or [Sings riff] to help bring the interviews to life. What comes across is an artist who wanted to bring happiness and joy to the world through music and stories.
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Zollo knows Petty’s music well, having played much of it, so the interviews about the songs are insightful, even down to walking the chord progressions or discussing notable bridge sections or lyrics. There is one period of Petty’s career that the book spotlights wonderfully - the decade of productivity from around 1987-1997 that included the albums Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers, along with writing and producing for Johnny Cash, writing and performing with the Traveling Wilburys, and touring (as part of the Heartbreakers) with Bob Dylan. During this period, Petty penned or co-wrote classics like:
- “Free Fallin’”
- “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
- “I Won’t Back Down”
- “Love Is a Long Road”
- “Wildflowers”
- “You Wreck Me”
- “Yer So Bad”
- “You Don’t Know How It Feels”
- “Crawling Back to You”
- “You Got It” (written for Roy Orbison)
- “Handle With Care” (Traveling Wilburys)
- “Into the Great Wide Open”
- “Learning to Fly”
- “End of the Line” (Traveling Wilburys)
- “Jammin’ Me”
- “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
According to Petty, during this period music was coming so easily to him and his main collaborator - the great Heartbreakers’ guitarist, Mike Campbell - that they’d often hit “record” before they had firm lyrics or knew quite how a song would go. Throughout the interviews, the workman-like quality of songwriting, recording, and performing comes across, and you realize that Petty was so productive because he was very, very professional.
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