Zero to Hundred Learning

Just like products, learning also has 2 stages:

• Zero to One learning

• One to Hundred learning

Zero to one refers to learning something anew as opposed to one to hundred ie building on something that you already know.

Let’s unpack this further!

Zero to One learning
aka learning something from scratch

Examples:

• Think learning alphabets or numbers in kindergarten - they formed the building blocks for understanding the world around you

• Learning how to do a handstand for the very first time

• NextLeap’s RISE fellowships - designed to teach the fundamentals of a domain like Product Management or Product Design

Zero to one learning is hard. It requires you to understand the very basics of something. It takes time and effort.

At this stage of learning, two things really help - structure and support.

• Structure simply because at this point the sequence in which you're learning matters a lot. Do step 3 before 1 and you might not understand what’s going on

• Support because feedback is really important to understand what’s right and what is not. There is a right way to do something and you people who are experts to guide you in that process

The biggest mistake we can make while we’re in the Zero to One learning phase is try to do it on your own - structure and support are incredibly hard to build for something you’re just starting to learn.

One to hundred learning
aka building on something you know

Examples:

• After learning how to do a handstand, learning how to do a handstand push up

• NextLeap’s SCALE fellowships that help professionals grow in their current role

One to hundred learning is also hard but requires a different mindset. It requires you to connect what you’re learning with things you have learnt in the past.

At this stage of learning, exploration and community become really important:

• Exploration to go deeper into things that make you curious about that topic. Having the freedom & autonomy to chase your own rabbit holes goes a long way in building mastery

• Community to brainstorm and learn with. Having a group of peers or mentors around you who can help you feel “I’m not alone in this” can really help you grow more

The biggest mistake at this phase? Trying to follow the cookie cutter model and learn things because they’re the status quo.

It’s like Steve jobs said, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”

Well, Zero to one learning is collecting dots and One to hundred learning is connecting dots. Happy dotting!