Curiosity Killed the Cat. Or Did It?

May 31, 2021

What is continuous learning and why is it important?

In short, continuous learning is nothing more than making the commitment to learn new knowledge and skills. You can do this either formally or informally. For example, if you were learning a new language, you could use an app like Duolingo and do this at your own pace. Alternatively, you could sign-up for a class online or in-person.

But, continuous learning doesn’t just take place on an individual level. It’s also crucial for organizations if they want to remain competitive and innovative. In fact, according to a report from Deloitte, organizations with a continuous learning culture experience the following benefits;

46% more likely to be first to market
37% higher employee productivity
34% better response to customer needs
17% more likely to be a market share leader
92% more likely to innovate

On an individual level, continuous learning shows your team members that they’re valued. As such, the more engaged and motivated. Additionally, updating their skills and knowledge can increase their performance since they have fresh ideas, insights, and are more competent. You can even use learning as an incentive.

Overall, continuous learning is a win-win for both organizations and individuals. The question remains, how can you build a culture of continuous learning? Well, here are 5 places to start.

Role model a growth mindset.

“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset,” explains Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, who has conducted research on the impact of mindset on learning. “They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts).” They’re able to accomplish this “because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.”

“When entire companies embrace a growth mindset, their employees report feeling far more empowered and committed; they also receive far greater organizational support for collaboration and innovation,” adds Dweck. “In contrast, people at primarily fixed-mindset companies report more of only one thing: cheating and deception among employees, presumably to gain an advantage in the talent race.”

In order to encourage and remain in the “growth zone” Dweck suggests that you become aware of fixed-mindset triggers, such as being challenged, receiving criticism, experiencing setbacks, or being compared to others. After that, you can work with these triggers to develop a growth mindset.

Some strategies that you may want to experiment include;

Appreciating the process over results.
Having a sense of purpose by asking “why.”
Replacing the word “failing” with “learning.”
Putting more value in effort over talent.
Viewing challenges as opportunities.
Not seeking others’ approval.
Taking time to reflect.

If you’re in a leadership role, model a growth mindset so that your employees will follow suit.

Propose a training and development plan.

At the same time, you don’t want to force this on your employees. Instead, you should explain to your team the advantages of continuous learning. More importantly, you should have conversations about what they want to learn and why. If you can’t meet with them one-on-one, consider conducting polls or surveys.

You should also discuss the resources or support they’ll need to learn these new skills or information. To get you started, here’s some pointers for developing a learning plan for your employees;

Determining where you need to upskill your team via a skills gap analysis.
Identifying the employees who are primed for career and leadership growth.
Aligning employee and company goals.
Helping them grow with your organization over the next several years.
Using development plan templates, such as an individual employee development plan template.
Fitting the learning opportunity to the training.
Tracking everyone’s progress and results, as well as offering feedback. Don’t forget to also find out what obstacles they’re facing and their suggestions on how to overcome them.

Provide a variety of tools and resources.

This is arguably the most important component of an environment that encourages continuous learning. However, there are a number of shapes and forms depending on the needs of the individual and organization.

Formal learning including external workshops, online classes, MOOCs, training programs within your organization, or taking courses at a university.
Social learning through on-site training, mentoring, and collaborating with co-workers on projects or “task forces” where they investigate a topic together. You could also have employees present and apply what they’ve learned through weekly briefings.
Self-directed learning where employees can obtain a new skill or enhance their knowledge individually and at their own pace. Examples include listening to a podcast, reading industry blogs, or experimentation with newly acquired skills. To support this, allow your team members free time throughout the day to engage in self-learning.

Before steering your employees in the wrong directions, however, make sure that you’re offering the right tools and resources. In addition to being relevant to your organization, it should also be vetted and originating from trusted sources. Together with a growth mindset, training and development plan, and mixed set of tools, you can upskill yourself and your team.