How To Always Be Learning
One of the best bosses that I ever had was a relentless learner. He was already good at what he did but that wasn’t enough, he wanted to get better.
Don’t misunderstand me, he wasn’t constantly dissatisfied with himself and his own performance, he just recognised that in order to meet evolving challenges, to fulfill his potential and achieve his goals he couldn’t just stand still.
I had similar aspirations and wanted to be viewed in a similar way — my boss was a leader in every sense of the word — so I watched what he did then set about following a similar path.
It meant unlearning some things I relied on; breaking some habits and routines and questioning the excuses I was giving myself. It also meant shifting my mindset to one that saw investment (time and money) in myself as something worth doing today, not putting off until tomorrow.
What I learned back then I still use today and they’re choices you can make too. You don’t have to be doing your dream job (it’s often better for your motivation if you aren’t!), but you do need to be 100% committed to being the best version of yourself.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
- Have a goal
It has to be something realistic that you can believe in. It’s good to dream big, however, in order to achieve those dreams you need to set yourself some smaller goals that focus on helping you to get incrementally better.
2. Learn for today, not yesterday
The pandemic has spawned multiple opportunities to learn new skills. There’s technical opportunities such as video conferencing or virtual collaboration tools and emotional opportunities, such as how to be more resilient or inspire remote teams. Focusing on the skills you need for today, rather than doing what was popular yesterday, will ensure continued relevance and progression.
3. List your potential excuses
We all make them and when it comes to intentional learning they are often never ending, but that’s what they are: excuses. Statements that you make to yourself or an internal narrative that you have designed to get in the way of your own progress. For example:
Excuse I haven’t got time
Reality It’s a matter of priorities. You can choose to binge watch TV, do unproductive work, go down a social media rabbit hole or you can set aside an hour or so to learn a new skill.
Excuse I (or my employers) don’t have money to spend on training and development
Reality It doesn’t have to cost a lot — or even anything! Rent a book from an online library, watch a free webinar or enrol in a course for the price of a bottle of wine!
Excuse I’m not smart enough
Reality You can do anything you put your mind to! Adopt the mindset that in order to become smarter you have to learn one new thing, then another and so on
Excuse I have all the skills I need
Reality This may be true for the job you did yesterday but when you reflect on your goals, what’s required to achieve them? Or what skills would help you to be even better at what you do?
4. Find a balance
Intentional learning can never be effective if you’re exhausted, so you need to find a good balance between life and learning. All your muscles, especially your brain, need time to recharge. You need to sleep well, eat well and exercise in order to do your job well. You then need to make time for family, friends, relaxation and plenty of laughter.
5. Look for opportunity everywhere
When it comes to learning, curiosity is critical. To be open to new ideas, new ways of thinking, different approaches or viewpoints. It can be as simple as asking for feedback on the work that you do or your style (‘what’s one thing I could do differently’) or taking a learning from scratch approach (‘if I was starting this today, how would I do it?’).
Learning opportunities are found in conversations with teammates, coaches, blogs, videos, online programs, articles and mentors. They are everywhere, but only if you’re looking for them.
6. Don’t be afraid to fail
Learning is one thing, deliberate practice is another. You only truly solidify a skill when you put it into practice and often, it doesn’t always go to plan. No-one is immune to failure, so you have to prepare for it and recognise that it’s a core part of getting better at anything. This is the growth mindset approach, rather than the ‘I’m going to fail, so I won’t do it’ fixed mindset approach.
Like most things in life, intentional learning is a choice. A choice to become a better version of yourself, who has the skills and emotional capabilities to be continually relevant and to become a positive role model for others in the way that my boss was for me. And if you get the balance right, there’s not a single downside to it. Leadership lives in learning.
