Turning Employees into Lifelong Learners
It truly is an exciting time to be working in the Learning & Development space. Every week we see a new research study discussing the science behind learning. The difficulty arises when we try to apply the science of learning inside our organizations.
So how can we help our employees become true lifelong learners?
I would begin by asking if you are fully tapping into the power of metacognition, and the role it plays in becoming a nimble learner. Take the time to teach your staff metacognitive skills, such as planning, monitoring, reflection, and application. This needs to be built into every new learning program that you launch.
Ask yourself, are you developing dedicated strategies for incorporating metacognitive learning skills into the workplace? Doing so will improve your employee’s chances to learn, it will speed up the time it takes to master new skills, and it will improve their overall learning capability.
Focusing on how we learn is only half the battle. We need to adopt a servant leader mentality when it comes to workplace learning. What I mean here is we need to remove any obstacles or barriers that are blocking our employees from learning and experimenting at work.
The two greatest obstacles to workplace learning are:
The learner has no learning goal, or area of mastery to focus on.
The learner is not able to practice what they have learned.
There needs to be clear objectives built into every single learning experience. Beyond just that, the learning objectives need to align with the greater learning objectives of the organization.
Just as the head of a PMO ensures that all programs and projects align with the greater strategy and vision of the organization, the same must be for learning and development.
Lastly, do not forget to properly support your managers. When an employee has completed a learning session or workshop, and they are eager to begin applying their newly discovered skills and strategies, they need the support of management to help guide them.
Workplace learning does not take place in a bubble, nor does it just magically appear. It needs to be planned, supported, and managed into the organization.