

Learning is the mode and mindset in which intentional learners operate all the time. Instead, it is an almost unconscious, reflexive form of behavior. While intentional learners embrace their need to learn, for them learning is not a separate stream of work or an extra effort. Everyday experiences and interactions offer tremendous learning opportunities, but only if you intentionally treat every moment as a learning opportunity.
#Curious and learning on the job professional#
Unlocking intentionalityįormal learning opportunities account for only a small percentage of the learning a professional needs over the course of a career. In the process they will unlock tremendous value both for themselves and for those they manage in the organizations where they work. People who master these mindsets and skills become what we call intentional learners: possessors of what we believe might be the most fundamental skill for professionals to cultivate in the coming decades. This article, supported by research and our decades of experience working as talent and learning professionals, explores the core mindsets and skills of effective learners. People who have mastered the mindsets and skills of effective learning can grow faster than their peers and gain more of the benefits from all the learning opportunities that come their way.

#Curious and learning on the job driver#
Learning itself is a skill, and developing it is a critical driver of long-term career success. We believe that an underlying cause is the fact that so few adults have been trained in the core skills and mindsets of effective learners. The pandemic has only heightened the urgency of doubling down on skill building, either to keep up with the speed of transformation now underway or to manage the particulars of working in new ways.ĭespite this context-and the nearly constant refrain for people to adapt to it by becoming lifelong learners-many companies struggle to meet their reskilling goals, and many individuals struggle to learn new and unfamiliar topics effectively. Even before COVID-19 emerged, the world of stable lifetime employment had faded in the rearview mirror, replaced by the expectation that both executives and employees must continually refresh their skills. The World Economic Forum recently declared a reskilling emergency as the world faces more than one billion jobs transformed by technology. The call for individuals and organizations alike to invest in learning and development has never been more insistent.
