Three Ways to Lead Learning

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Every week, I carefully curate inspiring articles and share my thoughts, accompanied by motivational quotes. I hope you enjoy this next edition of my Monday Motivation, and I eagerly anticipate hearing your feedback and suggestions for future topics.

Firstly, a wonderful happy New Year to all of you.? This week I would like to come back to the topic of continuous learning.? As we begin 2025, I’m sure many of you have made resolutions to improve something in your daily lives.? Learning something new might be at the top of that list.? However, in an organization, how much thought is put into how people learn, rather than what they should learn?? For over a year, many organizations have been rolling out “AI Training” in a variety of forms.? However, many have failed to identify the objectives and design an approach that fits the culture and style of the organization.?

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, learning is no longer a luxury, but a strategic imperative for organizations to thrive. However, many learning initiatives fail to deliver the desired impact. This is largely due to a lack of understanding of the different approaches to leading learning and the need for a tailored approach based on organizational context. This is the focus of today’s article, The Three Types of Learning Leaders, where the author offers three distinct approaches to learning leadership. Understanding the three approaches and the differing goals they serve can help executives select, develop, partner with, and be better leaders of learning for their companies.

Custodians.

Custodians believe that learning must serve the needs of the organization first and foremost and are a good fit for organizations seeking alignment. These leaders prioritize instrumental learning, focusing on aligning employee development with the company’s strategic objectives. They view learning as a tool to enhance performance, improve skills, and achieve business goals. Custodians often favor structured programs, such as boot camps, that deliver specific skills and knowledge. They excel in environments that require strong alignment and standardization, such as during periods of rapid growth or organizational change. Custodians see themselves primarily as stewards of the business. For them, alignment with senior leadership is a top priority; they create value by bringing others on board with the top team’s agenda.

Challengers.

Challengers think individuals have an intrinsic right to grow and that learning must support their development. They often consider learning to be a moral duty of the organization rather than a financial one and they are best when firms need innovation. These leaders champion humanistic learning, emphasizing individual growth, empowerment, and personal development. They believe that investing in employees’ personal and professional growth will ultimately benefit the organization. Challengers often create “playgrounds” for learning, encouraging exploration, experimentation, and self-directed development. They thrive in organizations that value innovation, creativity, and employee autonomy and they tend to claim they have an “outsider” perspective that differs from the organization’s mainstream thinking.

Connectors.

Connectors integrate both approaches and emphasize bringing people together to learn from one another. Like custodians, connectors favor initiatives that are anchored in a strategic imperative for the company. However, they pay particular attention to those that require the collaboration of different groups, because they prioritize building employees’ mutual connections rather than their connection to the organization. Like challengers, connectors usually incorporate personalized learning opportunities into their courses and workshops. They encourage employees to see tackling a corporate challenge as a vehicle for their own personal and professional growth. They are most fruitful in organizations that are siloed and need more collaboration. These leaders strive to integrate the best of both worlds, combining the strategic focus of custodians with the human-centered approach of challengers. They create a learning community where individuals can grow, connect, and collaborate. Connectors often use a “town hall” approach, facilitating dialogue and knowledge sharing among employees. They are also particularly effective in organizations that prioritize inclusion, diversity, and collaboration.

By understanding these different approaches and choosing the one that best aligns with their organizational goals, companies can create a more effective and impactful learning culture that drives business results and empowers employees.

Wishing all of you a wonderful start to 2025!

Stay on the beat with me and have an amazing start to your week ?

Yours,

Mark

Source

Petriglieri, G. (January – February 2025) The Three Ways to Lead Learning. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2025/01/three-ways-to-lead-learning