This applies to a lot of things outside of the professional sphere. I learned skiing in my 30s, and while it was terrifying getting stuck mid-station at Zermatt as the winds were too strong for the cable cars, yes, we skied down to the main town. Even now, with accelerated changes in the communication and PR environment and giant FMCGs reducing digital investment #continuouslearning is not a luxury. I can list more than a dozen things that I didn’t know how to do when I started (I was an accountant transforming into a marketer), so I can relate to this disciplined approach to figuring out what you don’t know, conscious on-the-job learning, and getting help to get better. “She had a can-do attitude, a willingness to learn through practice, and she was comfortable being coached.” In one section of the book Tina Fey lists the individual strengths of her Team of writers she praises Kay Cannon’s approach to the world which stemmed from her involvement in collegiate sports.

One question is “I wonder why/if…” It allows us to maintain our curiosity about the supposed givens, and go beyond these to explore the opportunities in what is still possible. A version of “yes, and” is in Dean Ryan’s enriching and thought-provoking speech at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, on the five essential questions of life. Tina Fey is theatre-trained, with a solid background in improvisational theatre. The way for an act to get going is to be open and let the initial thinking flow. Don’t shut it down with “no”, “but”, or “that’s been done before”. Listen, encourage, and contribute to the build-up of ideas. You might surprise yourself where the act actually gets to. What I have learned over time is to find the insights in the simplest (or least connected) of things. I re-read Tina Fey’s Bossypants last Sunday afternoon and couldn’t help but laugh whilst looking at what merited the neon green highlighter and scribbled notes I had at the margins. Mentors don’t always come in formal, 60-minute coaching sessions.

Ms bossy pants