Are you an agile learner?

People have been trying to change forever. They want to change because they want to be better, happier, richer, slimmer, kinder, faster, slower, more successful, get promoted… we all have a list of things that, if given the Genie’s three wishes, we would change about ourselves. 

Some change works. People do get better at their jobs; they do get fitter, happier, become more thoughtful, make better cupcakes. And lots don’t. They say they want it (often repeatedly). They make attempts to do things differently; join a gym, a dating agency, sign up for a course, eat no chocolate for a week, but after a while the old behaviour creeps back in and lasting sustainable change actually takes place. 

Why is that? 

Is it because some people have more willpower, more help, more time, more knowledge? Is it because, for some reason, it is easier for them: she doesn’t work; they have the money; they had a great leader.  Yes, it can be all of these things, all of these things and one more. The essential one; people who successfully change are agile learners. This means that they have the ability and willingness to learn from experience and subsequently apply that learning elsewhere. 

Successful change requires an understanding of the actual change required, an understanding of what drives our behaviour in the first place, what keeps us repeating the pattern, and a robust process for change. But before all that you have to be open to learning in all ways, not just the traditional ‘teacher’ based learning methodologies.  And when we say open we mean really open to learning, with the humility and determination to see it through.  If all these things are in place then you can become an agile learner and, all of a sudden, change becomes a whole lot easier. 

Imagine for a minute you are discussing politics with a friend. They voice a different opinion to yours on a topic of national importance. What do you do? Well, most people will sit and appear to listen while at the same time constructing their response ready for when the friend stops talking. The response is invariably in some way or other an attempt to make your friend ‘see sense’ and see it your way. 

A person with high learning agility will respond differently. As their friend is talking they will genuinely listen; they won’t be running their own dialogue in their head. They will be given over completely to listening and thinking about what is being said. Having done this they will ask genuine questions in order to understand more fully this point of view. It may sound something like this: ‘Blimey! That is a completely different view from the one I held when we started this conversation… please tell me more, what makes you believe xx? Where did you learn about that?’ 

Sound different? The reason for this is that an agile learner sees difference as an opportunity to learn as opposed to a threat to their own identity. They love talking to people who know more about something than them or just know different things; they see it as an opportunity to learn, to become better and more knowledgeable themselves. It does not mean they have to change their opinion when they hear the different way of thinking, but it means they have no concerns in doing so because they believe wholly that people are all just works in progress and that learning is the fuel that keeps us growing and progressing. The people who are scared to change their mind are the people that will fail to change anything. 

Compare the leader who listens to no one (although often pretends to), dictates the way it is to be done and refuses to see the signs as things unravel, against the leader who seeks out people that can add value to his problem, hears their real thoughts and experience (because they feel safe in giving it) and then makes a considered decision.  It is no surprise that the number one factor senior leadership recruiters are now looking for in candidates is the humility to admit they don’t know everything and their ability to learn quickly from people and situations. 

What is Learning Agility?   

Learning agility is a mind-set and corresponding collection of practices that allows people to continually develop, grow, and utilise new strategies that will equip them for the increasingly complex problems they face in today’s workplaces and in life.

We have long known that a major difference between successful people and those whose careers falter is their ability to make meaning from their experiences. CCL research shows us that people who refuse to let go of entrenched patterns of behaviour or who do not recognise the nuances in different situations tend to derail, whereas successful people continue to develop. We now know that these successful people are learning agile; that is, they show the willingness and ability to learn throughout their entire lives. 

Academics and practitioners disagree on a definition of learning agility, including how it differs from learning ability. Learning agility has been defined as the “A willingness and ability to learn from experience, and subsequently apply that learning to perform successfully under new or first-time conditions.” De Meuse et al. (2010) 

While there is debate and disagreement on a definition for learning agility, there appears to be consensus when it comes to many of the factors used to measure it. From our own research, coupled with research from Korn Ferry, agiler learners: 

• Engage in self-reflection; display self-awareness; seek feedback and try new behaviours
• They are not afraid to challenge the status quo and seek new ways of doing things
• They take time to reflect on their experiences.
• Are creative problem solvers who display curiosity and like to experiment.
• They are open to change and challenge the status quo
• Take risks; can tolerate ambiguity and complexity; and remain resilient through adversity
• Learning-agile individuals tend to be more social, creative, focused, and resilient. They are less interested in accommodating others and are not afraid to challenge norms 

Each of these behaviours not only shows a willingness to learn on our part, but also a degree of humility. 

Where’s my Learning Agility at? 

“People with a growth mindset believe the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts” (C Dweck).

Scientists are learning that people have more capacity for life-long learning and brain development than they ever thought. Of course, each person has a unique genetic endowment. People may start with different temperaments and different aptitudes, but it is clear that experience, training, and personal effort take them the rest of the way. 

Do people with this mindset believe that anyone can be anything, that anyone with proper motivation or education can become Einstein or Stephen Hawkins? No, but they believe that a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable), that it’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of grit – passion and perseverance. Not everyone who's on top today got there with success after success. More often than not, those who history best remembers were faced with numerous obstacles that forced them to work harder and show more determination than others.  

Most of us take Einstein's name as synonymous with genius, but he didn't always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics. 

Bill Gates didn't seem like a shoe-in for success after dropping out of Harvard and starting a failed first business with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen called Traf-O-Data. While this early idea didn't work, Gates' later work did, creating the global empire that is Microsoft.  

The list goes on and on. 

Start to think about what you could do to increase your learning agility. Some of the most successful people are avid readers. They look to soak up knowledge from wherever they can get it. In today’s digital world we are bombarded with online articles, blog, vlogs and so on. For a mind that is learning agile it is like being in a candy shop. The trick is carving time out to read and learn, and also knowing where to get the good stuff. 

Top 10 tips for raising your learning agility…. 

1. Raise your self-awareness; seek feedback, all feedback is a gift even when it is poorly wrapped. You may not like it and it may be uncomfortable, but there is value in it nonetheless. Regardless of the other persons motivations for giving you feedback, there is always the opportunity to learn something about yourself that you previously did not know. Never pass up and opportunity for genuine feedback, asking: “What are one thing could I have done better?”  
2. Engage in self-reflection; take time to reflect and learn from your experiences. Learning occurs when you take the time to reflect, to shift your thinking beyond merely what happened to ask why things happened the way they did. Ask yourself “What happened? Why did it happen that way? What should we stop/start/continue doing in order to ensure success in the future
3. Be brave, challenge the status quo and seek new ways of doing things. If You Always Do What You’ve Always Done, You Always Get What You’ve Always Gotten
4. Teach backs, the best way to really know a subject is to teach others.  To teach is to learn twice. Choose a topic you know little about, learn it, plan and go and teach three other people
5. Seek out new experiences and perspectives. A great way to become more flexible is to leave your comfort zone and intentionally put yourself in new and unfamiliar situations that call on you to do, think and see things differently. This might be as big as traveling solo to an unfamiliar land. It could mean seeking out a new responsibility, or developing a new skill, or perspective.
6. There are two truths. Be curious, there are always two truths, your ‘truth’ and someone else’s. Remember difference in an opinion are an opportunity to learn as opposed to a threat to your own identity. People who are scared to change their mind are the people that will fail to change anything
7. Bouncebackability – when faced with tough situations, treat them as temporary setbacks rather permanent. Be realistic and fair to yourself and then move forward.
8. Your brain is like plastic...the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. Take personal responsibility for your learning, carve out some learning time, start small by watching a TED talk tonight or listen to an audio book on your way to work  
9. Really listen, notice more & be present with others. It is amazing how much knowledge you will acquire and how you will learn about others and yourself
10. The only real failure is not taking any action in the first place. We all deal with feelings of fear, uncertainty and vulnerability. And unfortunately, most of us let those feelings dictate our actions. For this reason, the simple decision to act is often enough to separate you from most people. You don’t need to be great at what you do, you just need to be the one person who actually decides to do it.