Continuous Learning

“The greatest enemy of learning is knowing.” ~John C. Maxwell

It sounds almost backward. The reason we are learning is so we can know something.

Nearly every profession requires the need to keep learning the latest techniques in their area of expertise. This is not to say we discount what we have learned in the past, but we need to maintain a healthy tension between what we have learned and what we still need to discover. What we learned yesterday becomes the foundation for the new things we will learn today and beyond.

If we lose this tension or desire for more learning when we begin to think we know what we need to know. Similarly, the professional athlete who feels they have finally made it won’t stay in the game long. When we are finished learning, well…we are just finished.

If you are like us at HR Answers the beginning of the conference season is upon us. We will be attending, sponsoring, and speaking at many upcoming conferences throughout 2024. We encourage you to attend local and regional events and take advantage of online classes, professional programming, as well as local SHRM Chapter offerings. You can always learn where HR Answers will be at by checking our website.

To set the stage for learning, here are three words that will help you keep learning if applied.

1. Preparation – We always need to be prepared to learn. We bet you have heard this before “Everyone can teach you something.” This means every interaction you have throughout our day is a learning moment. As you review your agenda for the day, ask yourself what the key learning moments might be. Who will you be meeting with that you can learn from? What are you currently reading and listening to that you could learn more about today? Is there something new that you will be exposed to? It just takes a bit of intentionality and planning. Sometimes we attend a conference or webinar and we can get confirmation of our knowledge and sometimes you go and can learn something new or learn how to tweak something you are already doing.

2. Contemplation – Slow down and contemplate what you are experiencing. Doris Kerns Goodwin studied several United States Presidents. All, except for Lyndon B. Johnson, made a practice of spending time alone for the purpose of thinking. They felt the need to contemplate the events of the day. Remember, reflection turns experience into insight. This time is a wonderful opportunity to look at what is working during the day and what needs your attention. This is a form of continuing education, and the cost is zero dollars.

3. Application – The faster we apply what we learn, the greater the return, and the less likely we will be to forget it. Here are three questions related to application that may be helpful to ask yourself:

• Where can I use it? As you learn something new, immediately try to use it somewhere.
• When can I use it? If you can’t apply it right away, then when can you? Make sure you make notes in your calendar, so you don’t forget or put it in a subject related file.
• Who needs to know it? This last question is where leadership steps up a notch. Once you have captured what you have learned and reflected on, share it with others. Instead of keeping the information so you can leverage it to your advantage, use the information to help others get ahead and expand the thoughts of others. The people we share our thoughts with help us see nuances in the ideas we may have missed, been unaware of, or even overlooked.

There is no growth without action, and the greatest gap in all the world is the distance between knowing and doing.  Continuous learning is the only way to prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities. With just a little extra effort, you can leverage ordinary days into extraordinary opportunities. This is a good step in the direction of being growth minded.

What will you learn today?