My Adventures with Intentional Learning

There's so much to learn from kids. That's Arvind, our 9 year old, who jumps at every opportunity to jump. It is almost a reflexive form of behavior that he always manages to incorporate some jumping into his hikes with me.

Intent matters. I’ve always been fond of continuous learning and experimented with different frameworks. After seeing the extensive research by my colleagues at the Firm and in the industry, I wanted to give intentional learning a try leveraging the 3x3x3 model.?Sharing the learnings, some tips and watch-outs from my Season 1 Episode 1.

Let's start with some definitions. Intentional learning is the practice of treating every experience as an opportunity to learn something.

Although they are experiencing all the same daily moments anyone else might, they get more out of those opportunities because everything—every experience, conversation, meeting, and deliverable—carries with it an opportunity to develop and grow.

The extensive research by my colleagues recommends the 3x3x3 matrix as a good reference tool for intentional learning (Source: McKinsey & Company).

Learning is the mode and mindset in which intentional learners operate all the time.

For my adventure, I picked 3 goals in unrelated categories. My objective was to test the 3x3x3 out, assess the outcomes and decide if there would be another episode, and a following season.

1. Culture: Inclusion and micro-biases/aggressions in hybrid workplaces (more explained below)
2. Technology: Latest in Low Code / No Code (this one is to gain hands-on knowledge and experience with the latest LCNC tech)
3. Health: Advanced breathing techniques (Apple Watch and Calm app are my bff’s :)

I timed it with the summer and just finished my 3 months. Before going through the deets, let me cut to the chase; I found it to be a very impactful tool and I am happy with my results from S1:E1. However, it needs the right mindset shift, practice and some serious commitment.

Let me double-click on my 1st goal and illustrate the process involved with intentional learning and how I approached it.

First, a bit about my goal #1. Inclusion and micro-biases/aggressions in hybrid workplaces. This one is very close to my heart and it is quite complex.

As the world transitions to hybrid at a whole new scale, with in-person and remote colleagues globally, new set of issues arise. Existing DE&I challenges compound, and new inequities and biases get born.

Enabling and sustaining an "integrated and inclusive culture" in hybrid workplaces requires granular understanding of the issues and global complexities. And it needs hands-on expertise with the rapidly evolving technologies, collaboration tools and communication techniques to understand the art of the possible. We need to start now, learn and experiment quickly, and be flexible to unlearn and relearn. And that made it an ideal candidate for my intentional learning.

My approach involved 3 parts:

• Getting into "the zone": I started with some prep work in the ‘structured learning mode’ ie. books, articles and research papers on the subject. There's extensive research underway on inclusion in hybrid workplaces, however it's still in early stages. Though not directly related to the subject of hybrid, I also finished reading Race after Technology (Ruha Benjamin), an illuminating book that I started earlier. Summer break definitely helped here.
• The switch to "intentional learning mode": I focused on the everyday experiences and observations. Unlimited Zoom meetings and global hybrid workshops with in-person and remote participants across various cultures and time zones provided ample opportunities to learn, observe and reflect.
• The "experimentation": I focused on leveraging observations and learnings to find mitigation measures. This ran parallel after the first few weeks. It involved getting hands-on with different technologies, 360 degree accessories, digital collaboration tools and whiteboards, different communication techniques and virtual floor walks to help mitigate some of the observed issues.

My learning trust included two colleagues at work, a fellow technology leader in the industry who is going through similar journeys with hybrid workplaces, and a mentee from Gen Z who has been going through hybrid learning for school. It is a complex subject. I chose 4 people (vs the 3 guideline), to gain diverse perspectives on race, gender and generation for inclusion in hybrid workplaces.

What worked well:?

Turning daily moments into learning opportunities — every experience, convo and meeting — needs some serious commitment, mindset shift and practice

• Having the 3x3x3 as a guiding tool and forcing mechanism to stay focused and be intentional
• Choosing goals that are directly relevant for my current work and life
• Going hands-on beyond traditional readings and trainings
• Keeping in regular touch with my learning trust and having candid discussions

Watch-outs:

Intentional means intentional; it won’t just happen magically

• It’s definitely similar to taking on a new fitness regime; when you fall off the track, it becomes double work
• There were definitely days where 3 goals seemed a lot! As my goals were very different, when the going got tough, I had to go with what seemed like the easy one to do for that day and time (eg I binge-worked on Low Code No Code over a long weekend; did my advanced breathing techniques during my early morning email catchups)

Overall I would grade my goals #1 and #3 as more effective for the intentional learning use cases. My #2 ended up becoming more traditional learning than intentional as my day to day experiences were not super conducive for me to leverage actively.?

What next? I will be using my new learnings from this S1:E1 over the next few months for continuity and direct use in my work+life. A lot to do especially on inclusion in hybrid workplaces. I then plan to embark on Episode 2 during winter break.?And hoping that one day I'll get to the reflexive behavior that my son demonstrates!

So, ready to give it a shot? What’s going to be on your 3x3x3? And let me know how it goes...

#IntentionalLearning #culture #learning #leadership