A True Pro, Behavior #10: Never stop learning, approach a profession as a continuing education.

This is the tenth article in a series on the qualities and behaviors practiced by people who rise to the top of their professions. See the previous article on having more than one idea and multiple solutions to every problem.

“I am a woman in process. I'm just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull.” ~Oprah Winfrey 

Being a life-long learner is a pivotal behavior of all true professionals. They see their formal education as just the beginning, a foundation to build upon. Most will credit an insatiable thirst for more knowledge as one of the reasons for their successes.

One of the secrets of accomplished people is realizing they must “unlearn” certain things which were taught to them by their parents, peers or instructors, once proven to be inaccurate or outdated. Very little knowledge is universal and unchanging. Knowledge is ever-evolving, and so must be every professional’s capacity and determination for continued education. Henry Ford extolled, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

True professionals are always “approaching” their professions. They never feel as if they ever completely arrive. There is more to know and learn than can be attained in any one lifetime. They share the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

What does it mean to never stop learning and to approach a profession as a continuing education?

As a true professional, you can never know enough about your job or your industry. You eagerly accept new training offered, or the opportunity to attend workshops, conferences and trade shows. You spend a little time on your own outside of work each week to peruse blogs, white papers, and online learning programs. As previously covered in this chapter, you read a lot and you ask a lot of questions.

Over time you develop the habit of being a self-directed learner. You don’t have to be prompted or be given incentive, you have internalized continual learning. In a way, learning is like oxygen to you. You exhale the knowledge previously acquired and inhale fresh, new knowledge and ideas to keep your brain engaged and your spirit energized.

If you are really dedicated, you find mentors who can impart both new knowledge and strategies for how to apply it effectively. You are not daunted by any learning curve. You break new content into manageable and digestible pieces, then study it at a pace that is comfortable until you understand it. 

A true example

Ageism is a pervasive, equal opportunity discrimination practice in the workforce. Unlike sexism, racism, creedism, and every other ‘ism, each worker on the planet eventually becomes a victim. We are all going to be “old” sooner or later. Ageism is practiced by employers who push out aging workers in favor of younger workers who will work harder and longer for less money. Aging workers also fall victim to ageism because they “age out” mentally. Their skills get rusty and their knowledge becomes stale and ineffective due to the rapid pace of technological change and an ever-evolving global economy.

You might be thinking, “I’m young, I’ve just started my career, I don’t have to worry about ageism for a long time.” You would be wrong. In many professions workers can “age out” mentally by the time they are 35 years old, or they simply become complacent and fall behind. Computer programming is one such profession.

David was 33 years old and in high demand. The Internet boom was just getting started and there was a dearth of good computer programmers, particularly those who knew ecommerce. He had worked at several of the large high-tech companies in Seattle and Silicon Valley. He had a stellar resume and good references. I thought I was lucky to get him. He was given a six-figure salary and generous stock options. His job was to develop the ecommerce module for our new internet service.

One month before we were scheduled to launch, my Director of Engineering informed me we would not make the deadline. The product was not ready; specifically, the ecommerce module. I was livid because the engineering team had plenty of time and were all well-paid. I was in the middle of raising another round of financing from venture capitalists. Missing our launch would jeopardize the raise and put the company at a competitive disadvantage because we were in a race to market. We would lose our “first mover” advantage. I demanded to know what caused the holdup. He looked at me matter of factly and replied, “David doesn’t know his sh*t.”

As it turned out, David had initially tried to write the code using an outdated programming language and old libraries. When the Director of Engineering found out about it, he told David he would need to develop the eCommerce module using the same platform as the rest of the team. David said, “no problem” and went back to work.

David was unable to come up to speed and didn’t even try. He often did not come in to the office, saying he could get more done at home. He wrote no code whatsoever. After he was terminated for cause, he filed a complaint with the department of labor and industries and sued me for wrongful termination. I had to pay him a significant sum of money to go away so I would not be distracted from the task at hand, which was saving the company. Later I found out he had pulled the same stunt at his previous employer.

This is a case where David simply stopped learning. He failed to keep up with the latest developments in his field. Rather than doing the work to keep his skills and knowledge current he devised a four-prong strategy: bluff, stall, sue and settle. That’s a no-win strategy in the long run. I have no idea what David is doing these days, but I know it isn’t computer programming and I doubt he is even working in the high tech industry any longer. On many levels, he was not a lifelong learner.

This is also a case where I failed. I did not know what I did not know when I hired David. I did not know how to vet him properly. We were running fast and snatching up any tech talent we could. I had hired David before I hired his boss, which is a bad practice. People who know should hire other people who know, especially if they are going to be direct reports. No professional deserves to be saddled with an incompetent staff. That one was on me. I learned never to do it again.

Data point

Source: Tech Pro Research

Technology continues to increase the pace of change in all industries. Best practices are always evolving. True professionals know their best chance of staying competitive is to continue their education and to upgrade their skills. You can bet the 34% who are not concerned and the 7% who don’t know in this survey, won’t likely remain competitive in their professions.

Strategies and tips for continuing education

So how do you put this internalized behavior into practice?

First, use a news alert service to receive daily or weekly posts on developments in your field. There are several good services; most are free of charge. Define topics and keywords relevant to your industry or profession. The service will scour the web each day and bring you items which are relevant. We live in a day and age where knowledge now comes to us. We no longer must go seek it.

Second, become an apprentice or volunteer for a leader in an adjacent industry. No industry or profession is an island. They are all dependent upon or influenced by adjacent industries or professions. Getting exposure to an adjacent industry breeds cross-pollination. It will help you see your own field in a new light. You will acquire new knowledge and insights you can apply to your work.

Third, seek the limelight in your profession to keep yourself sharp. Share your knowledge on social media and online forums. Ask for feedback. The act of putting yourself out there to public scrutiny forces you to know your stuff. For example, I post weekly to several professional forums. I usually need to do 3-4 hours of research and fact checking before I post. Sharing is caring and a healthy discipline for continual learning.

Fourth, get certified. Your profession probably offers a variety of certifications which demonstrate you are up to date with best practices. You can also take skills tests offered by third party associations and freelance marketplaces. When posting your resume or professional profile, it never hurts to have a few letters after your name that tells the world what credentials you hold.

Fifth, if you are not already a “positive deviant (PD)”, find one to hang out with. A PD is one whose unconventional thinking and strategies enable them to find better solutions than their peers, despite being in similar circumstances and having no extra resources or knowledge than their peers. PD’s see the world differently and inspire learning.

Sixth, don’t forget to work on soft skills. It’s not just about knowing more; it’s about how you use your knowledge to influence your peers and improve your profession and workplace. Soft skills mean people skills, management skills and leadership skills. It’s not enough to just know about your profession, you must know about people and how to work effectively with them.

Seventh, do whatever you need to do to put yourself in a learning culture. If you are not constantly learning at work, quit now! If learning is not part of your organization’s culture, you either need to change the culture or change organizations. Life is too short to go stale too quickly. Find a work environment which continues to challenge you.

Finally, keep yourself in perspective. Know why you are always learning and to what end. Stay sharp not out of fear, but out of hope. As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Knowledge is also knowing oneself. Never stop learning so you may always remain true to yourself.

The Final Word, by Malala Yousafzai

“All I want is education and I am afraid of no one.”

Good reads and resources

Mind Games: The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy, by Kathleen Harmeyer and Kathryn Wetzel

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck

Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life, by Susan David

Emotional Intelligence 2.0, by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves