Cultivating the most important skill in life
A few years ago, whilst I was in an L&D leadership role at a large organisation, a graduate approached me in the kitchen.
She got straight to the point, “I’ve been here for nine months and I haven’t had any learning” she said. I asked what she meant. What transpired was she hadn’t been sent on an internal training course since her induction.
She was, however, being put through her accountancy qualification. I asked about that course, what she was learning and how she was bringing it back into her daily work.
“That’s different”, she responded, “I’ve got to do that”.
Which brings me to the question; does any formal learning institution really teach us the most important skill in life; how to learn? How to direct, curate, create and apply our own sense of learning adventure on an ongoing basis, and not just as a one-off event?
To me, a learning mindset comes down to four things; intention, attention, creation and reflection.
Author
Steph Clarke is a facilitator, podcaster, bookworm and lifelong learner. You can find her posting on LinkedIn and Instagram and talking about books on Steph’s Business Bookshelf. As of right now (late 2020) she’s immersing herself in a graphic design course to enhance her visual communication and visual problem-solving skillsets.
Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash
