4 ways to develop learning

Written by Glenn Taylor, Engine Room Business Innovation

Do you invest in learning?

My mission is to transform the way you think—to transform your mindset around many factors, including learning. Effective leaders are avid learners.

Development and growth should be synonymous with who you are as a leader, not treated as a one-time event or a periodic luxury. To truly be your best, you need to adopt learning as a daily habit. By learning you develop your own leadership, which then empowers you to develop a leadership team that will take your business to a better future. This is a key focus of the Business Essentials Program.

How long have you been struggling to develop your managers to become ‘leaders’? Leaders that think more like you – that have Aspiration, Engagement, and Ability to drive the business forward. We call this type of manager a Change Leader.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got". This quote is attributed to Henry Ford and resonates for those that recognise the importance of learning new knowledge. Knowledge that will enable them to do something better, in order to get a better outcome.

It may seem obvious, but we regularly ignore looking to the future and accepting that unless we make a change – the future will not be what we want it to be … one which enables us to apply new learning to create a high performing team. A team of change leaders that will take the business to new heights.

So, what type of program is the Business Essentials Program?

It is a program that equips you to build a high performing leadership team.

Today, I want to share 4 areas that you can impact today.

Let’s dive in…

4 KEY AREAS YOU CAN IMPACT TODAY

#1) What You Believe

You probably believe one or more of the following:

• Learning is a luxury that I can’t afford when running and growing a time hungry business.
• Training of staff is a cost that merely takes from the bottom line of the business.
• I already know the important things (isn’t owning this business evidence enough!).
• The stuff I don’t know doesn’t matter as others can do that work.
• I’m too old to learn – learning is for the young.
• It’s uncomfortable admitting that I don’t know things – so why put myself in that situation. 
  

Examine if any of the above resonates for you and reflect on why. I suggest that your higher level of thinking knows that the belief isn’t valid. As learning should never stop. What got you to your current position in life is a result of much learning, and what will take you to a better future is more learning still.

#2) How You Plan

Effective business leaders develop a vision for the future and a plan that will take them to that better future. The plan identifies the structure and form of the team needed to drive the business forward. Choosing and training of the leadership team members is key to this. You need change leaders in the business – so careful selection and training of key staff is critical. Have you developed an organisational structure diagram for your leadership team? What positions will you have, what is the ideal profile for each position? Do you currently have staff that can fill those positions? What training is needed to develop them? What are your own personal training needs and training plan?

#3) How You Communicate

It is said that “in the void of communication, people make up their own stuff.” So, in the absence of you communicating to your key staff what the vision and plan is for the business, what are your key staff thinking? Are they feeling uninspired, or restless, or worse still, insecure? Without knowing what the business direction is, and how they fit into it, are they ‘drifting along’ or worse still, making other plans? I suggest that you communicate your vision for the business and how they fit into that vision. Then discuss training needs and develop a plan. Leadership by example is powerful – so explaining your own training needs and plan will inspire them to embrace their ‘learning journey’.

#4) Your Community

The people you spend time with shape who you are and what you do. At one end of the spectrum, you only hang out with colleagues and friends that are comfortable with their current knowledge and closed to learning new things. At the other end of the spectrum, you spend time with people who are avid learners – who have an open mind and curiosity that engages with new concepts and principles.

Where can you improve? What would it take to improve?

JOIN MY BUSINESS ESSENTIALS PROGRAM

If you want my teaching and coaching to learn how to develop a high performing leadership team then join me on the Business Essentials Program.

This program is the culmination from observing, coaching, facilitating, and mentoring thousands of business owners and senior managers, and then deep diving into research to develop a unique program.

Glenn Taylor