Learn Everyday!

Building a continuous learning culture helps organisations drive competitive advantage, engage with their workforce more effectively and empower them with skills that benefit both parties. Continuous learning leads to new ideas, greater performance and happier employees.

But the onus shouldn’t be left on your organisation or employer alone. To grow your career or master your craft you need to build a habit of lifelong learning to acquire new skills, add more value to your network and harness your strengths. Hopefully, your employer has an L&D Program to drive your growth, (as part of your development) however, you need to take ownership and consider how you grow; each and every day!

So what steps can you take to drive your development further?

1) Learning Every Day

It really isn’t that hard! But it does take discipline and routine. Looking for a great way to start out? Perhaps consider Robin Sharma's 20/20/20 routine as follows "The way you start your day powerfully shapes how productively you live it. Reserve the first 60 minutes for personal preparation. As the Spartan warriors said: “Sweat more in training and you’ll bleed less in war.” Spend your first 20 minutes in intense exercise. Sweating releases BDNF, a brain chemical that actually grows neural connections. Working out also releases dopamine (the neurotransmitter of motivation) and serotonin, which makes you feel happy

For the next “20 minute pocket”, review your annual plan and reflect deeply on your quarterly goals. Clarity precedes mastery and this practice will deepen your focus through the day.

Invest the final 20 minutes of this morning routine on learning (i.e., read autobiographies of great humans or listen to a leadership podcast or download the lessons of yesterday into your journal)." Source: https://www.robinsharma.com/article/the-methods-for-superhuman-productivity

Personally, I start each day with a similar system where I train for the first 45 minutes (thanks to F45), then spend 15-20 minutes in gratitude, visualisation, meditation/prayer, then 20-45 minutes learning something new on my commute to work in the morning. The timings can change for part 2 and 3 of the above based on my day but the habit is well and truly formed. I also use a third to a half of my commute home to learn.

Using your commute is a great option for those who are time poor. Audiobooks, content on your phone via Bluetooth in the car and/or read a book on the train. All are great options to find time to learn everyday! The commute is one of my preferred times to learn.

Continuous learning starts and ends with you and your commitment. Sure it can be easier to look at your Insta, read the news, listen to the radio etc. And don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with some downtime but finding balance and prioritising growth is key.

2) Start / Get Involved In A Book Club

At Aurec we have started a book club to learn and grow as a team. We use the ACT principle ( https://www.matthewcossens.com/blog/you-need-to-act-a-simple-guide-to-digesting-books ) and work through a book at approx. 50 pages per week. We share notes and discuss key topics. This led to us working through Combo Prospecting by Tony Hughes (prior to a bespoke training session) and has us following up with other titles relevant to our roles.

3) Invest In Seminars, Presentations and Conferences

There are so many great speakers, teachers and presenters to choose from. Find one that will hone an area of your craft or strength.

I have attended The Growth Faculty in the past and they have had some exceptional speakers from John Maxwell, (Leadership) Jack Daly, (Sales and Sales Leadership) Liz Wizeman, (Motivation, Performance) Michael Bungay-Stanier (Coaching), Hilary Clinton and have upcoming seminars with Indra Nooyi (ex CEO or Pepsi), Brene Brown and Chris McChesney. They also have a great On Demand platform for those interested.

Attend a conference in a relevant area. Our team has gone to Cisco Live, Salesforce events, Utilities Week, Various IT Meetups and all have added value. There are great keynote speakers and classroom events to connect into.

4) Complete A Formal Certification Program / Degree

You could enroll in a University Degree, Post Graduate Degree, Masters, MBA, Specialist Certificate or other forms of Executive education. I have had the privilege of recently completing a range of subjects through the Melbourne Business School and University of Melbourne and the quality of teaching and the participants is extremely high. They also give you practical, actionable takeaways that can be implemented as an individual or in your workplace; it’s not just theory! Of all the formal education I have done to date this has been the clear standout.

5) Consider Online Training, Online Content and MOOCS

There are so many online training products you can consider. From LinkedIn Learning, Lynda.com, The Growth Faculty (on demand) and a range of platforms covering almost every topic available. Recruitment specific platforms include Recruitment Juice and Social Talent among others.

Equally you have access via Youtube and TED talks to some of the best speakers and teachers in the world! The amount of choice is exceptional but the secret it in finding credible content from reputable thought leaders. The same goes for online publications and magazines, use these to subscribe/follow leaders in your field and areas of interest.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) can also be explored. There are plenty of these available (albeit they are not accredited courses) where you can access some great content and get a feel for a module of a degree or certificate before jumping right in.

6) Formal & Informal Training Programs

We run formal internal training programs as a team across our craft, (our Excellence Series in each part of our process) new leaders program (for aspiring leaders) and advanced leadership program (for our team leaders) using a mixture of the above.

Additionally, we have a dedicated training budget which we utilise to access thought leaders across technology, recruitment and sales and invest into our team through structured and formal training programs. Ask your employer about your training options and put together a business case that adds value to you and the company.

Informal training can also be an excellent way to learn further. We run regular “Brown Bags” (lunch and learn events) where we ask an expert in a given field to come and present and run a Q&A session with our team. We have been privileged enough to have detailed sessions across Program/Project Management, Agile, UI/UX Design, Full Stack Development, Architecture, Data Analytics and Cyber Security.

7) Find a Mentor And/Or A Coach

Mentors and Coaches can add significant value to your journey for different reasons. I won't go into the specific differences in this blog post, however, both are worth considering. I have had exceptional mentors and coaches over my journey and also had the privilege to mentor and coach others.

Last but not least, Stay Curious! Be inquisitive, ask questions, engage with others. Share your knowledge.

Lifelong learning is a continual process but with dedication and discipline you will find that it will help you drive towards your goals, continually grow, and is a sound investment to stay relevant in the modern marketplace.

What strategies do you use to continually learn? Share your thoughts and feedback below.

Learn Everyday!

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