Unconformed: An Unbound and Unbridled Path to Unstuck Growth

by Bryan Orr

They work with tools and drive a truck, With a grin on their face, they don’t give a [hoot], The value they bring, the work they do, No matter the challenge, they always pull through.

The objective of education is not to fit students into predefined molds but to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate an ever-changing world.

Business is, in its truest form, an excuse to be in a relationship with one another.

autodidact—more

when it comes to character building, don’t have expectations—have standards.

micro-purposes that lead to macro-purpose and lifelong satisfaction.

Expectations are aimed at them and can only lead to disappointment, while standards are impersonal and aimed at us.

It’s good for young people to go wide before they go narrow, as that gives them enough perspective and real-world knowledge to understand their true inclinations and talents.

You come out of high school barely knowing who you are, and you’re shoved directly into the expensive world of higher education. That’s a major—and potentially costly—gamble.

Why is earning the most you possibly can as quickly as you possibly can—without consideration for your interests, your passions, or going into debt—the accepted value system in our society?

The labor of the hands ennobles the soul, connecting us to the roots of our humanity and the essence of our existence. ~ Leonardo da Vinci

They are going to be completely unstuck, able to go anywhere in the world and apply themselves in a variety of ways.

As you progress in a trades career with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you will find out that your trade goes way beyond just turning a wrench.

autodidactic nature.

encourage this young autodidact. Let him run, and don’t worry about where he’ll be when he’s eighteen or nineteen. He’ll probably do thirty more crazy things, but by the time he’s twenty-five, he might be a billionaire or, better yet, a generous giver. Be thankful he isn’t on his phone worrying about being accepted by his peers.

But seriously, as a society, we must open our minds and allow our children to branch out and discover all the learning and career opportunities available to them rather than automatically funneling them down the prescribed educational path. We shouldn’t be afraid to expose them to alternatives.

Apprenticeships and mentorships are about creating problem solvers and letting young workers meet and learn from people who are not only skilled but also passionate about their work.

For millennia, apprenticeship meant you worked alongside someone (or a system of someones) to gain the necessary skills to do a specific vocation well. Recently, it’s become associated with unions and the government.

Immersion is always the best teacher.

But if you were to experience Italian immersively and know that you couldn’t get your next meal or learn where the bathroom was until you asked for it in Italian, you would learn Italian quickly. That’s what apprenticeship does.

pre-apprenticeships for youth aged 16 to 18 who want to experience different jobs. Some of them are in the trades, while some of them aren’t. Then there’s on-the-job training, which can be good or not so good, depending on the strength of whoever is doing the training.

Finally, we have private apprenticeships, which is what I’ve been driving towards over the last twenty years. Private apprenticeships take place outside the school system and with minimal to no government involvement, meaning there’s less chance for bureaucracy and waste. (Depending on where you are in the country, private programs may not be able to call themselves “apprenticeships” unless they are registered and may go by a different name.)

Nexstar member companies do private apprenticeships all the time, it’s just not simply called that.

They provide a great way for people to gain experience and perspective.

And to see if they even like a specific type of career!

Many rewarding professions that offer apprenticeships and don’t require a college degree are out there in professions like electric work, plumbing, HVAC, construction, culinary arts, and so many more.

This is HUGE!

We have to experience things before we can understand the lecture. Somebody can tell you the definition of “chrysalis,” but if you don’t have subjective experience with the word, it’s difficult to understand what it really means.

Try this on my next site visit training! At a minimum, have equipment, parts and/or pieces on the tables for them to see touch feel and play with!

But it’s really not about trying to prevent kids from getting badly hurt. It’s about trying to prevent inconvenience. We’re trying to manufacture the inconvenience out of the education process. I think that’s a mistake.

Excuse for not doing practical learning

When you’ve already seen something—even if you didn’t fully understand what you saw—you will remember. The experience will give you a foundation upon which to start building knowledge. Then, when you see a PowerPoint slide during a lecture, you’ll recall your previous experience, and the slide will mean something to you. It’s that interface between experience and language bouncing back and forth that helps contextualize the education.

Some people are inherently able to do massive reps without boredom, but I’m an autodidact, a self-learner. Repetition doesn’t feel natural for me—or at least that was the excuse I tried on for size.

I applied Malcolm Gladwell’s famous 10,000-hour rule, which he claims is necessary for developing mastery or expertise in a skill area.

Curiosity in the pursuit of mastery

feedback (aka opinions, reactions, criticism, and advice)

stop for a second and ask myself, “Do I really want feedback or validation?”

Feedback vs validation

In a nutshell: Feedback requires structure, while validation is best saved for calls to Mom.

We call these people perpetual students,

it’s worth recognizing in ourselves, whether it’s feedback or validation we’re after.

Teach your kids (and remind yourself) to be in relationships with others not because you need something for yourself but because honest, mutually-beneficial human connection is its own reward.

the idea that we should always be critical of things that can be improved and not be afraid to go against popular opinion.

Task conflict is a healthy disagreement or debate on ideas, processes, or strategies aimed at finding the most effective way to achieve a goal.

On the other hand, personal conflict arises from negative emotions or interpersonal issues, often unrelated to the task at hand. This kind of conflict leads to hurt feelings, grudges, and in some unfortunate cases, a black eye or worse.

An example of how task conflicts can be beneficial at work is when two team members have different ideas about how to tackle a project. By openly discussing and challenging each other’s ideas, they can uncover innovative solutions and ultimately create a more successful outcome.

collaborative effort to improve and reach their highest potential.

Open-mindedness: being willing to listen to different perspectives and ideas ● Respect: treating everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of disagreements ● Clarity: being clear and concise when expressing thoughts or opinions

Humility: acknowledging limitations and staying open to learning from others

Remember that feedback and pushback are essential for growth.

We hold these meetings after the completion of a project—or when something goes wrong—to analyze what worked, what didn’t, and how we can improve moving forward.

Be sure to: ● model and encourage open and honest communication ● focus on process and outcomes rather than criticizing individuals ● identify areas of improvement for the future ● celebrate successes and acknowledge efforts

A society thrives when it values the contributions of its skilled laborers and nurtures the crafts that have shaped its history.