Article by Dr Tanya Boyd, Learning Architect at Insights Learning and Development
Whether your role, career or organisation has changed, or perhaps you simply need to conduct your role in an environment that has changed from what it was two years ago, continually updating your skills is essential.
While the pandemic accelerated the learning industry’s shift from in-room training to online training, the basic premise of corporate learning has not changed drastically. Most learning is still offered through courses, and while there is growing recognition of the value of personalised, self-directed learning journeys, most courses are still primarily offered under an overarching “one size fits all” philosophy. Changes to L&D are coming, but until then, you can accelerate the speed and effectiveness of your own skill development through the practice of activating awareness.
Activating awareness means being able to draw on your awareness about personal strengths, gaps, and resources related to a specific outcome in order to guide effort and energy to achieve that outcome.
You probably already do this in many areas of your life. If you want to learn something, what do you do? Search a how-to video on YouTube? Read a book? Trial and error? At some level you are aware of your best way to learn, and you also will be aware of what you already know about this particular area of interest and the specific gap you need to fill. This makes your learning process effective and efficient.
You can intentionally apply a similar approach to your job-related upskilling by activating your awareness related to a new desired skill.
Keep coming back to awareness as you progress along your journey. Celebrate your successes! As you learn more, does that change what you believe you need to develop or what the best way forward for you would be? Once you make it past your biggest obstacle, what is the next obstacle you will face, and how will you overcome it?
Activating your awareness in this way for a specific desired outcome will, over time, increase your overall awareness and this will positively impact performance in all areas of your work.