The Implications of saying "Learning is Not an Event"

Lots of talk in the world of L&D about moving away from designing formal “one and done” learning events and moving towards designing continuous learning. The buzz-able phrases that come to mind are "learning in the flow of work" or "self-directed learning."

But let's unpack the implications of this talk. Because it’s one thing to say "learning is not an event." It is something else entirely to discuss what this looks like within an organization and what it means for us, as Learning and Development Professionals.

When we say "learning is not an event," it really means...

1. We acknowledge that learning is continual and happening daily . BUT, we must also acknowledge that we need to do the work to help others in our organization realize this as well. This involves doing the heavy lifting to shift mindsets and establish the habits that intentionally illuminate daily learning lessons.?
2. We acknowledge that we, as the learning and development team, do not have complete control over the learning of others. Our job is not to MAKE anyone learn. Instead, our job is to create and enable the conditions where learning can happen. Thus, we need to expand our thinking about the work we do.
3. We acknowledge that individuals must take responsibility for their own learning journey. This means that we set an expectation that learning happens over time through a series of interactions AND that it requires hard work by the individual. The work that is needed to change their own behavior and/or habits requires them to intentionally and consciously engage, practice, and do things that feel uncomfortable.
4. We acknowledge that those who are the best at learning make it a habit, but this habit isn't limited to formal events. Instead, they learn continuously through multiple different modalities. They also don’t wait for others to tell them what to do. See #2 above as it relates to creating and enabling conditions whereby...

L&D Professionals, if we truly want to stand behind the phrase, "Learning is not an event," then we need to shift our own mindset and actions away from creating a formal learning event to solve every problem and help our stakeholders to do the same. We need to think about how we can create and enable systems and processes that encourage and recognize learning as a continual habit. This includes for the modalities that we have control over and those we do not.

What am I missing? What else do we mean when we say, "Learning is not an event," and how can we make it a reality in our organizations?