One of the most popular phrases I have been hearing for the last couple of years is “I’ve been attending this course and I learned… ”, which means that almost everyone in my professional life is learning something almost constantly. I am a big advocate of non-stop learning and development. But I also admit it is not without its challenges and disadvantages. Which are…
1. Not knowing what knowledge to grab
This is one of the pitfalls of having an eager mind and a variety of choices. I have encountered people who study new things without understanding what they are learning and why.
I try to match my learning with the needs of my team. When I was a young leader, I studied the 101 rules of business. A bit later, when SupportYourApp started to grow, I started reading books and listening to courses on effective management and team training. Today, as my team grew to over 1400 professionals, I am learning to be a mentor and a coach. These are the steps I needed to take to keep on being efficient as my team’s needs and size changed.
One of the best ways to determine what knowledge and skills to take in is to analyze the environment and the trends of the present and turn them into knowledge for the future.
2. Lack of the most crucial ingredient — time
Time is one of our most important assets and, when it comes to learning, it is one of scarcest things.
Here are the topics I am currently interested in and in the process of learning:
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AI and ML
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International business development
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Team Coaching
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Leadership and mentoring
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The future of tech trends and so on
This list can go on and on for other leaders. Combined with the fact we also need to work, complete our tasks, and maintain the all-important work-life balance, it might seem a wonder that we have time to breathe.
The key here is to learn to prioritize every lesson, book, and course. Which knowledge would be the most needed to be useful at the moment? Which topics are the hottest and most viral? Which book will make me better at my job right now? These questions can help professionals and managers prioritize their learning and gradually get the knowledge they need without the risk of burning out.
3. The loss of motivation and perspective
When the process is never-ending, staying motivated is tough. It’s like a marathon that does not have a finish line and does not provide the participants with the option to rip through a ribbon at the end of the road. It’s a good thing marathons actually have an end, otherwise no one would ever participate in them.
Staying motivated to keep on learning year after year is tough. Especially for those who have already reached the highest points of their careers (like C-suite managers). The logic behind this goes like this: “I am already at the top. Why would I learn something new if there is no reward in sight?” But this is actually not true. There might be no reward when it comes to professional growth, but there is an opportunity to be a better teammate, better manager, and a better leader, which will improve the overall performance and morale of any team.
And isn’t that the goal?
4. Wrong mindset
Learning for the sake of learning, not developing enough interest in a topic before diving deeper in it, grabbing knowledge that is not needed, and not dedicating enough time and effort to the process. These are wrong mindsets for effective learning that are sure to get in the way of any professional.
While getting in the right mindset is not easy, it is an absolute must when learning something new and developing is the goal. Here’s how I get it right:
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I concentrate on the process and try to yield as much pleasure from it as possible
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I learn from my mistakes and look for answers to my questions in every piece of information I get
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I use the people around me as an indicator of the knowledge I need to get
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I do not deny myself the pleasure to learn something I am personally interested in, and I try to use every piece of knowledge I received in my professional life
I approach every opportunity to learn with this mindset, which pushes me to receive new knowledge.
Whatever challenges I come across when learning, I constantly arrive at the same conclusion — I cannot get enough of it. Every time I learn something new, I am anxious to get a chance to use it in my professional life. This is the feeling that makes me go on and on.