Taking Charge of YOUR Learning

Working with so many people, I have come to a rough observation that professionals broadly fall in two categories – ones that ‘have a plan’ around their learning pathways and the ones that don’t.

We live in a world of infinite possibilities and sometimes, the very breadth of choices available to use can blind us, paralyze us into inaction. I have seen many professionals who choose to simply coast along the current context. They usually end up being the victims of their circumstances (crushed by the wave) because they never could think ahead and plan “their own thing”. In a strange way, they almost surrender themselves to their current work context and remain stuck in finite set of activities.

On the other hand, there are people who map their internal potential and interests with opportunities outside. They “pick” their battles ahead of time (ready to ride the wave), prepare for it, invest proactively in learning both explicit and implicit aspects of the subject, seek out c0mmunities of learning and leverage opportunities in current context to practice their learning.

Lewis Caroll famously said,

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

In a world where shelf life of knowledge is continuously shrinking, we need

• a constant clarity of our direction and self-awareness
• learning in iterations,
• building on to that knowledge through exploration of intersections with other disciplines,
• sharing our learning with others
• learning from others in community and contributing our personal learning networks
• relentless practice and
• generating meaningful outcomes through our practice.

Organizations are in a state of constant flux with business models becoming obsolete, new models emerging  and new technologies disrupting businesses/individuals.

Thriving in such a world means actively managing your future, learning at the speed of change, making quick sense of big shifts and responding accordingly.

As business theorist Arie de Gues said in his 1988 HBR article titled “Planning as Learning”,

“We understand that the only competitive advantage the company of the future will have is its managers’ ability to learn faster than their competitors.”

This was true in 1988 and it is even more relevant today.

Also Read:

• 3L’s of Self-Directed Learning: Insights from My TEDx Talk

• Social Media for Better Leadership and Learning

• Mindset Shifts For Organizational Transformation

• 12 Critical Competencies For Leadership in the Future

• Peter Senge: How to Overcome Learning Disabilities in Organizations

• 3 C’s for Learning and Leading on Social Media