Training Is An Event, Learning Is A Process
In order for us to get value from the books, audios, classes, courses and workshops, we must take action..
People around the world buy learning
materials, books, audio programs, webinars, tele-seminars and attend
lectures and workshops every day. These learning options exist whether you
want to learn about leadership, leopards, or being a lifeguard.
Companies and organizations everywhere organize and fill workshops and
classes continually, because they want to invest in their employees’ and
team members’ education and learning.
All of these activities make sense; we want to be able to learn or do more,
and our life experience says that a classroom (i.e. school) or reading (i.e.
books, etc.) are the ways to learn something new.
Unfortunately a large percentage of these investments of time, money and
effort in these courses, books and programs are wasted. Books don’t get
opened, tele-seminars aren’t attended, workshops are forgotten and much
more. It isn’t really the fault of the author, instructional designer or
trainer for these problems. While there are things that these people can do
to improve the results gained from their products, in the end it isn’t their
responsibility.
It is the learner’s responsibility. That means it is our responsibility.
And as long as we carry an “event” mindset, we won’t get the results we hope
for. Because learning is a process, but all of the programs, classes and
books are just events; and we don’t learn in a lasting way from an event.
In order for us to get value from the books, audios, classes, courses and
workshops, we must take action. We must try what we learned, see what
happened, tweak it, and try again. In other words we must do for learning
anything new, what has always worked for us. Think about it – you didn’t
learn how to ride a bicycle until you put your butt in the seat and a foot
on the peddle.
At first, when you got on the bike, you made mistakes and fell down (and
scraped your knee and depending on who was watching wounded your pride). Yet
you got back up, tried again and learned how to ride.
To learn the things you want to learn now, you must get a little dirty,
expose yourself (and your image), and try it. Once you have those lessons,
you can improve and adjust until you get the results you desire.
Here then is the magic pill that you have been looking for ever since you
grew up and forgot about the lesson of the bicycle: Make your learning a
process.
Consider books, courses, audio programs all a part of your grander learning
process. Commit to finding ways to practice what you are learning, and to
finding ways to receive feedback (from yourself and/or others) about your
progress.
When you place all of these wonderful learning tools in perspective, they
can have a tremendous positive impact for you and your results, but only
when they are seen as a piece of your personal learning puzzle, rather than
the moment in time where things will change for you.
This information is important for you as an individual, but it is important
for you to remember as a leader as well. If you want to help develop those
you lead, you must help them create a learning process, rather than simply
signing them up for the next corporate course. Leaders can help create a
process (holding them accountable, asking for their learning goals, giving
them feedback, as examples), or invest in learning opportunities that
include a process.
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