Have you
tried a new recipe or restaurant lately? How about a new beer? Or just a
different back road that will take you home faster? Are you trying out that app
your friend told you about; the one that helps keep a better count of your
calories? The truth is, we are wired to find and share ways to do things that
we believe will lead to better or different outcomes, and thankfully so, or
wouldn't we all be sitting in caves with flint stones trying to light a fire?
The process
and need to get a better, different or new result may be subconscious, intended
or unsolicited. But the very fact that it exists, goes to show that we are
lifelong learners. And this trait, this behavior permeates into our work-life
as well, after all, work life is an integral part of our life and fills up a
sizable portion of our day!
Learning at the workplace may happen in different ways: it could be incidental (a by-product of some
action you performed), informal (shared by a friend or gained through internet
search) or formal (through a training session or online course). Whatever the
method of learning, the point is, you cannot 'not learn', it's just there and
it happens all the time. But if you were to give some thought to why learning at
the workplace is important and how you could leverage it, what would your top
five points be? Here are mine:
- Improving Performance (It's all about money AND meaning): Learning to do your job in a more effective and efficient way will result in a better performance and a better performance review! Which means, you get a better performance payout too! Because, let's be honest, going on that vacation with the family or being able to get that new gadget does feel awesome. Regardless of the big bucks, for many of us, it is the feeling of contentment and the sense of achievement of having done our jobs well that counts more than anything and gives meaning to what we do as well.
- Keeping Pace with the Changing Workplace (Lock step with the latest & the greatest): The pace of change at the workplace has become very swift. Do you remember the last time your organization or work unit went through a change, major or minor? Wasn't too long ago, was it? It is important to adapt quickly to the fast and constantly changing scenario at the workplace. Learning will help you upgrade skills, adopt new technology and even show you ways of keeping up with the latest and greatest so you are not the last one to find out.
- Welcoming evolving roles (Ready to wear any hat): The way of doing business is changing around many organizations as they strive to increase profit margins and reduce costs. If you were managing a manufacturing unit that has now been outsourced, can you quickly learn the skills to manage the new vendor? If you were teaching all classes the traditional way, can you now learn to facilitate online classes and use the technology that goes with it? The days of performing the same job for years together seem to be behind us and with more and more organizations believing in job rotations and seeking employees that can perform multiple roles, we better be ready to learn more and learn quickly.
- Becoming the Expert (Earn bragging rights): Come on, admit it; it does feel good to be known as the go-to guy or gal in your team or better still in the organization. Helping a co-worker figure it out or being approached by your manager for expert opinion does provide a healthy dose of serotonin. Well, it takes a fair amount of trial, error and practice to figure out the best ways, tips and traps, so keep that learning going.
- Personal Growth ("Me" matters): Learning just for yourself, for the thrill of it and for satisfying that craving of being a life-long learner is worthwhile too. The new learning need not be directly related to the work at hand, but the act of learning in itself is rewarding because it provides the sense of having grown intellectually or emotionally or even spiritually for some.
Learning is
all pervasive through our lives, even our work lives, so wouldn't it be smart
to get the most out of it? I certainly plan to.
