Learn, Improve, and Thrive

In order to survive and thrive in today’s world, both individuals and organizations should continuously improve the way they do things.  Continuous improvement requires continuous learning. However, effective learning takes time.  You need time to determine what to learn, time to do the learning, and finally, time to practice what you’ve learned.

Make a Strong Connection

You need to spend time thinking about where to invest your precious time learning.  Effective learning is learning that is aligned with your roles and goals.  One of the biggest benefits of making a connection between your key roles and related goals to your learning is mustering motivation to learn. Motivation is a critical factor for effective learning.  The stronger the rationale for taking time from the rat race to learn, the more likely it will happen.

Have a Learning Strategy

Once you have a good sense of what you need to learn, you need to determine the best approach to learn it.  Doing some basic research to see what is out there is a good start.  Start by determining the level of knowledge you need. Then assess a realistic timeframe for learning.  Next, identify the best and most cost effective knowledge sources.  Most importantly, choose the best time and place to learn.  The learning environment is critical!

Practice, Practice, Practice

In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about the importance of practice.  Practice is the final stage of an effective learning cycle.  If we take a class or read a book and we do not try out what we learn from them, it will not take.  We will most likely forget what we’ve learned.  At this stage you need to take whatever knowledge you acquired and put it to practice.  Give it a try.  Get feedback.  Make lots of mistakes and try again and again until it feels good and you get the results you expect.  If possible, find a coach or mentor to help you out.

BIG Benefits

Besides the obvious potential economic benefits of continuous learning, I read several studies regarding the health benefits of life-long learning for dementia-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and PIC’s.

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The first step in this whole process is to become convinced of the economic and health BENEFITS of learning.  The second step is to make the decision to allocate the time to plan and execute a learning strategy.  The final step is “Just Do It”!

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO