1. What we can learn from the world’s best ever sports team - an introduction into creating a learning culture

This article and all that follows may not be for everyone.

It’s probably not for anyone who believes there is no need to change, nor for those who feel they no longer need to learn. And it’s probably not suited to folk with big egos.

So, who is this article for?

It's for anyone running an SME, for GMs wishing to develop their team, or for any HR specialists seeking to enhance the culture in their business.

It's for everyone who wants to learn, and specifically for anyone who wants to create a learning environment.

It's for anybody who feels there are lessons to be learned from James Kerr's book Legacy about the most successful sports team ever, The All Blacks, and the parallels he draws with other management texts.

Why should the idea of creating a learning environment be of interest?

Steve Jobs reportedly asked, “Why do I recruit smart people and tell them what to do?” “We should recruit smart people and then create the environment for them to question what we do!”

In Zero to One Peter Thiel encourages entrepreneurs to build differentiated businesses, not just another "me too" business.

In Work Rules Laslo Block describes the learning environment within Google as being pivotal to their success.

Levitt and Dubner encourage you to Think Like a Freak.

Dr Hans Rosling (Factfulness) provides wonderful insights into why the smartest people in the world get it wrong when stuck on old paradigms and beliefs.

The common thread with all these authors, so wonderfully captured in Legacy by James Kerr, is "learning".

If we want to create a learning environment, we must invest in developing the knowledge of our people, teaching them the fundamentals of all aspects of business, to encourage them to question "why?” or “what if?”, and “how can we do this better or differently?".

So what is a "learning environment"?

It's a culture where everyone in the organisation continually strives to improve what they do and the processes they work with. It’s an environment where people seek to understand how their own roles and actions contribute to their team and the broader business ... which means they need to understand the component part of the business.

Years ago, while doing a consulting exercise for a bank in New Zealand, I was chatting to a young colleague in the photocopy room. He had a stack of papers he was copying, taking out the staples in each stack before passing them through the machine.

I asked what he was doing – and he replied;

"... I'm taking out the staples so I can scan these documents into our system. I know these documents are used by our branch managers to help identify customers. So when a customer comes in looking for a loan, they can quickly and easily retrieve the information for the customer, provide great service and look after the customer first time, every time. We then write more business, adding to the company's profit, so we can return more money to the shareholders – and perhaps add to my bonus."

His manager had taken the time to teach this person about his role, what it stands for and why it was so important.

The common thread running through the world’s most successful sports teams and businesses is their culture. Central to this culture is a willingness to learn. To set a vision for what they wish their team to achieve. To build character and shared values. To ensure people know what the organisation stands for. As Gordon & Smith wrote; You win in the locker room first.

It starts at the top but is brought to life by those at the front line. It means leaders need to become teachers, mentors and guides; to become The Wisest One in the Room (Gilovich and Ross); or someone who can move people (Daniel Pink – To Sell is Human).

It means creating an environment where your players, your staff, and stakeholders are motivated to improve.

An environment of constant learning, where questioning begets better understanding, where norms are challenged humbly, where there is continued focus on what we can do more or better or differently or less.

Where at the end of each day staff challenge themselves on whether they have left their role in a better position than when they started it. Where continuous improvement, however small, is a daily ritual so that on Any Given Sunday it's the learning environment that becomes the "way we do things" to drive better business.

Still not convinced?

Check out the World Economic Forum’s report on the future of work and the skills needed for survival within the next 10 years. Or read Lynda Gratton's The 100 Year Life to appreciate that because of increased life expectancy, we will need to continually reinvest in our own learning to be able to fund our retirements.

Think about the algorithms the next maths genius will write to turn a five-day a week job into a two day role.

How soon (if it has not already happened) will someone create the algorithmic coffee machine that is linked to your "espresso" app, removing the need for your favourite barista?

In just over 30 months, Uber went from being founded to securing $37 million to fundamentally change the way we take paid transport. It has changed the lives of taxi drivers all over the world.

Consider the soaring cost of recruitment when the generation now entering the workplace move jobs because their employer was unable to engage them, unwilling to help enable them (through learning) and too inflexible to empower them to make better decisions, both individually and collectively.

The point is this; the world is changing – rapidly. How can we ensure that the pace of learning keeps up with pace of change?

And how can we help more people and organisations to view life-long learning journeys as an essential element of their future survival and prosperity?

The answer lies in creating a learning culture

If the idea of creating a learning culture resonates with you, where do you start?

We'd like to help. It doesn't matter if you run a business, work for yourself, work in a large team or work in a small team.

Over the next 12 months, we are going to post a series of articles on a weekly basis, focusing on a different learning topic every month. We invite you follow the framework, use what you like, discard what you don't want – and enjoy the learning journey. 

We don't profess to be among the world’s best management consultants. We don’t profess to have PhDs in Organisational Development or Masters Degrees in Change Management.

However, we do profess to be extremely well grounded in the practical aspects of learning and in running a business. We appreciate strategy, culture and value propositions. We love that our article on operating rhythms has accumulated over 7,000 views and that some of our on-line learning videos have now generated over 15,000 views.

We are naturally inquisitive and curious; we believe in sharing knowledge, teaching others and the importance of making learning accessible and affordable. We take pleasure in reading, and particularly in curating material in order to help others.

There is a caveat. This is not some simple 5-step approach. It took the All Blacks years to harness their collective and collaborative knowledge. They focused on the fundamentals and the idea that “better people make better all blacks”.

Our view is that “better knowledge makes better employees”.

Many of the texts we read suggest that creating a learning culture can require fundamental changes to the way you think about your business. Critically, it’s about making a strategic decision to engage deeply with the people you have the privilege to lead, and helping them to engage with your business.

Daniel Goldman (Emotional lntelligence) talks about the original meaning of strategy. He refers to the art of the leader, how you deploy your resources and the need to communicate with passion and skill, with understanding and empathy.

A learning journey

So, if you are clear on why you do what you do, and if you can articulate what you and your business stand for – we'd like to start the learning journey with some thoughts on strategy.

We won’t just look at the strategic direction of your organisation. We’ll ask you to think about the beliefs, values and behaviours you’d like to foster. Most importantly, we’ll explore how you can transfer this knowledge to your team.

We start with strategy given this sets the tone for the business direction, and the goals for the coming 12 to 24 months. If you're clear on the business direction and the goals, you can then consider the impact on the workforce. And that means identifying the key skills and capabilities, at each level of the business, that need constant development to support the business strategy.

We’ll then look at value propositions, operating rhythms (and how the use of a simple 5-minute facilitation at each weekly team member drives change) how to manage your people, build teams and create genuine customer service. We'll look at business planning and managing health in the workplace, before turning our attention to client interactions and how to manage the sales week.

Each month will build on the previous one; we will create posts, numbering each to allow you to follow the pathway. We will reference articles, books and quotes, and we’ll find videos for you to view.

Above all we will make it practical.

Where you take your business after commencing your journey with us is entirely up to you. We’d simply like to help you start your journey. And we believe you start with teaching everyone the fundamentals of business.

The New Zealand All Blacks have a winning record of 77% over 100 years and 95% in the last 5 years. They never stop learning, never stop trying to improve, and never stop placing their team culture within the hands of the individual players.

Interestingly their last two coaches were teachers.

Please join us

If the above sounds interesting, we simply ask you to please "follow us".

We look forward to sharing, getting feedback and passing on the wisdom that people smarter than us continue to impart. Most of all we look forward to the learning journey. It won't stop after 12 months.

Learning never does.