When we look at the rigorous training that professional athletes have to undergo, we admire the commitment and diligence with which they endure this and we follow them on their journey, seeing their potential develop their skills into mastery.
When we look at the rigorous training that professional athletes have to undergo, we admire the commitment and diligence with which they endure this and we follow them on their journey, seeing their potential develop their skills into mastery. But why is it that the focus on training the body in the sports world isn’t setting an example for how we should train the muscle that enables us to learn? The brain. After all, learning is a skill that we will require for the rest of our lives and most of us have never been taught how to do it effectively. Take running as an example – most of us can do this but it’s not until we are taught effective running techniques that we start to see improvements. And it’s the same with learning: if we started nurturing our learners’ potential in the same way that athletes perfect their skills, the possibilities and opportunities for our people would be endless.
Learning agility is the skill found in individuals who are able to effectively cope with changes. They adapt to new situations by connecting information from their past experiences to make sense of what they’re experiencing right now. Although change is something that we encounter every single day, we do not tend to train our people how to deal with it. Despite the frequency of change, especially in the workplace, arguably making this a core skill required for our teams to excel, now and in the future. .
Studies suggest that cultural components by far outweigh technological aspects when it comes to transforming organisations and instilling agility in employees so the first step towards change could be prioritising our people’s capability to learn to improve our culture.
It’s no secret that good company culture attracts top talent but how do you hold on to it? Learners who are praised for their efforts, as opposed to only their results, are spurred on to continue learning and improving – increasingly viewing new situations and tasks as challenges to grow. This is where we see how good learning agility includes working with a growth mindset, a term developed at Stanford University by professor Carol Dweck. Employees who begin to build this mindset, are happier and more motivated. Which, in turn, means that they increasingly develop a thirst for knowledge and learning – feeding the desire to grow. Ultimately to the benefit of your organisation.
If we go back to our analogy of professional athletes: these individuals work with the best managers, coaches, use the finest equipment and follow rigorous nutrition and training plans – so what if we treated our learners’ experience with the same reverence athletes treat their routines? We’d likely find that organisations who provide their employees with the tools required to learn effectively, challenge themselves and endure difficult situations, are often filled with resilient workers who are constantly evolving, and in turn grow quicker and actively contribute to the learning culture.
Learning the strategies to develop and succeed can be a challenging road to travel so it is essential that we stay healthy and support our mental health while we do this. Giving your employees the tools to adopt positive, realistic and solution-focused approaches will help fill their mental reservoirs, building resilience and empowering them.
An individual or group with strong personal resilience will successfully find ways to bounce back from challenges and deal with stress, remaining calm under pressure during difficult times. These personal foundations contribute to optimised performance, improved energy and motivation levels and higher engagement within organisations – the results all leaders and trainers hope to achieve for their businesses. So how can we instigate this change?
We believe the key to building the enrichment culture that will future proof your business begins with creating an inspiring environment for learners to develop an agile mind that embraces growth. Teaching each individual the best ways to learn, navigate adversity and cope with change will prepare your business for future challenges so, at Stellar Labs, we have put together a collection of carefully crafted programmes to cover every aspect of this journey to success.
Learning Agility: Conscious Learning Programme
This programme will give you the life-long skill of learning. In this programme you will explore practical tools and techniques to:
Structure an outcome focused learning journey in minutes. Launch in days.
Social learning Stellar Labs
DATEV, Stellar Labs, Proof of concept, AI, Learning, Neuroscience, Tool adoption, Software
In this episode, our host Stella Collins, co-founder and CLO at Stellar Labs, is joined by Bob Mosher, Chief Evangelist and co-founder at Apply Synergies.