Articles

Five Ways to Become an Agile Learner

“Learning Agility is about knowing how to learn — knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. It’s about learning from experience and applying it in new ways, adapting to new circumstances and opportunities.” – Center for Creative

Leadership 

Today, learning happens at a lightning pace. Thanks to technology, scientific advancement, and evolution, humans are able to absorb, process, and apply information at an outstanding rate. While this transformation can positively affect the world and the workplace, it has drawbacks. Just as swiftly as you learn something, you can forget it… unless you deliberately take the time to apply and reinforce your newfound knowledge and learning.

You’ve probably experienced this yourself. On the heels of a conference, you find yourself sliding back into your work routine with little ROI or impactful change…. especially, if your team leader doesn’t encourage new ideas, or new ways of doing things. This begs the question, “Why did they send you to the conference in the first place?” The evaporation of knowledge is what’s called “The Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve”, a model reinforcing how learning dissolves when not acted upon.

In other words, learning needs to be applied and practiced if we want it to be retained and have impact. Muscle memory comes from physical exercise and repetition. The same is true for putting into action and practicing what you’ve learned. With today’s increasingly complexity and information overload, it’s challenging to absorb, process, and apply what you’ve learned when there’s a mountain of work waiting to be done when you get back on the job.

To realize an ROI on learning, we need to be intentional. Agile learners and leaders apply a simple formula for learning – absorb, process, apply, reflect… and continuously improve. This formula is better known as “agile learning” and is a highly demanded skill in the workforce today. Wise leaders and agile learners consistently refine this skillset to prove their worth, have skin in the game, and sustain a successful career in today’s dynamic marketplace. To help you hone your learning agility, here are five ways to help you get started:

1. Identify your area of expertise… and keep learning: You don’t have to be the top in your field (but you could be!). That said, you can strive to be the go-to-person in your organization and proactively network in the field that you’re passionate about. Fight complacency. Be vigilant about continuous learning and maintaining a “growth mindset”.
2. Be intentional about applying what you Learn:Reinforce your learning and ensure a greater ROI on your investment by deliberately applying your new skills as soon as possible.    When you layer your expertise and continuous learning on top of proven application, it heightens your learning agility. Practice is essential… “one and done” doesn’t lead to expertise (or even competence). The skill is honed, and muscle memory is built as you seek out opportunities to quickly put your new learning into application at work and/or in your volunteer activities.
3. Use metrics to measure and track success:When you measure performance and keep records of your learning agility in action, you heighten the learning experience… and you have demonstrable proof of your new leadership skill. These metrics can be used on your resume, as growth-based evidence in your annual review, for negotiating a higher salary, and as a self-confidence boost. An example of this may include a brief write up of how you learned something new, applied it swiftly to your work, gained results, and continuously improved. From conferences, books, and seminars, to webinars, through mentoring and coaching, you’ll learn information, strategies, and insights that you can apply, measure and hone… proof positive of your learning agility skillset. Remember, the “proof” – is in the application.
4. Stay grounded and in control: Agile learners manage their emotions.  Unwarranted emotional outbursts interfere with agile learning and can slow progress. When you’re not in control, your brain doesn’t process logic effectively. Deliberately stepping out of your comfort zone by thoughtfully participating in meetings and crucial conversations that could trigger your emotions is critical to developing professional dialogue agility and learning to keep your emotions in check. It takes time and practice, and there will undoubtedly be hard lessons learned along the way… but the payoff is immense.
5. Self-reflect and recalibrate:A significant aspect of becoming an agile leader is “self-awareness”. Continual reflection on your progress and future path not only bolsters confidence, but helps you recalibrate as needed. There’s no standing still as an agile learning leader. You need to be dynamic – always striving to be better than yesterday. So, set regular time aside to garner honest feedback, reflect, and ask yourself what’s working, what’s not, and what you need to do differently moving forward. Adjust where you need to, and build on what you’ve learned. Keep an open mind… feedback and criticism provide valuable insight, allow you to course correct/enhance performance, and they promote agile learning!

So, it’s your move. What will you do to become an agile learning leader… and to reinforce agile learning for your Team Members?