Life Lession Learned - Get Better: Why Lifelong Learning Is a Core Trust Behavior

In this Life Lessons Learned episode, I unpack Trust Behavior #7: Get Better from the Speed of Trust framework and connect it directly to the way I show up on this channel. I start by reading the definition off the card: continuously improve, increase your capabilities, be a constant learner, build both formal and informal feedback systems, act on the feedback you receive, and thank people for it—rather than assuming today’s skills will be enough for tomorrow. I explain how the opposite of getting better is quietly deteriorating: resting on your laurels, ignoring feedback, and eventually becoming irrelevant. Then I use this channel as a live example: my videos are full of things I’m actively learning, from AI agents to new tools and workflows, and I deliberately build in public—including pushing agent-built projects into GitHub—so you can see the messy edges of that learning process. I talk about the gap between the business side and build side of product development, and how my own “get better” practice is about shrinking that gap. Today, that includes working side-by-side with my team in an integrated development environment called Windsurf, creating “zero daylight” between my world and theirs so we can collaborate more effectively and speak a more shared language about the work. I share how this drive to get better is fueled by several sources: my military training and experience, the pace of change in information technology, and a deep, personal curiosity that keeps me from letting a day go by without learning something new. I emphasize that curiosity is not a fixed trait; it’s a muscle any of us can cultivate, and it’s one of the most practical ways to remain relevant and useful to the people around us. I close by inviting you to consider making “Get Better” your anchor trust behavior—the habit that supports all the others—because it benefits not only you, but everyone who depends on you. If this episode nudges you to start or restart your own learning practice, then it has done exactly what I hoped: inspire you to keep sharpening your craft, one small improvement at a time.