Always be learning.

At SwipeGuide, “Always be learning " is one of our fundamental values. Throughout the years, our commitment to learning has been a shared experience with our customers.

?This journey started with a collaborative development process for the development of the SwipeGuide platform for connected work we launched in 2017. And it has continued ever since.? A journey that brought us to launching the first fully frontline-focused skills management and development app Smart Skills by SwipeGuide this month. Exciting!?

This week Annika Bj?rkholm and I? went to Atlanta for the Corporate Learning Week to put our newest product to the test and immerse ourselves in the world of learning & and development. Here are the main things I learned from spending 72 hours with top experts in the US in the field of corporate leadership and development:?

1. Today's workforce is the most diverse, the most self-aware, and the most empowered. On average a company has? 5 generations in one workforce. Each with different definition of what it means to work. This requires leaders that can pivot and be nimble. Leaders who strive to uncover what each person's motivational driver is and tap into their untapped potential in a unique way. To ensure sustainable growth of people and profit, companies must prioritize the cultivation of soft skills, with a specific emphasis on enhancing emotional intelligence, communication abilities, and adaptability over technical skill sets.
2. “Skills are the new currency” according to Kason Morris (Allstate). Very true. The faster technology develops and the market shifts the more important it becomes to move away from resumes & degrees. “Focus on behaviors, not beliefs,” said Andre Lessears (UAB Medicine) A shift is needed to focus on the demonstrated skills required to be successful in a role. We need systems and tools that enable people to move forward continuously and this will become the key for people to stay relevant in their role.? Employees should be their own agents of growth and the company should provide the environment & and culture to facilitate this.
3. Continuous Learning is a continuous journey, not a destiny. Companies need to establish a learning culture that is more relevant and contextual for the role and move more to peer learning.
4. The learning journey is a battle against distraction. The modern learner is distracted all the time, the new reality is that you have 5 seconds to get the engagement and 2-5 minutes to get your learning content across before the next distraction pops up. This requires us to redesign how learning flows within the work.
5. The most critical gap companies still need to close is the frontline skills gap. Across enterprises, there is a focus on talent & and leadership development. Little programs and tools are in place for the actual frontline worker.

With all these learnings shared by Annika Bj?rkholm and myself, the one thing that stands out is that?there is tremendous passion to rethink and redesign corporate learning. Let's use that to bring corporate learning to all levels, including the distributed and deskless frontline workforce.

A huge Shout Out to Katy Jones , Kason Morris, Andre Lessears, Brian Nolen, Rosemary Vella, Jeff Miller, and Cindy Mitchell for their insights.