The Ledger No. 26: Lifelong Learning

January 25, 2023 Sarah Dameron

person learning the characteristics of lifelong learning

Welcome to The Ledger where we sum up the latest finance and accounting news and trends for you. On this week’s entry, we’re diving into the topic of why lifelong learning is essential for finance leaders to thrive in today’s market and some of the characteristics of successful leaders. Read on to learn how to pursue lifelong learning in your career, why learning and work go hand-in-hand, how to boost continual learning with microlearning strategies and how learning leads to company loyalty.

Lifelong learning characteristics Ledger

How To Pursue Lifelong Learning In Your Career

The pandemic has forced employees and employers alike to think ahead. But figuring out how to do things rapidly in an unstable world is vastly different from learning a new craft. Moreover, most people don’t even think about continual learning beyond school. Banks Benitez, CEO of Uncharted, touches on this issue: “I don’t think in general we create enough time allocated to the purpose of learning.” He goes on to emphasize the importance of learning something new – “But the marginal benefit of a new minute of learning or a new hour of learning in something else is huge, because I know nothing about it! Like: How are trees communicating? …The return on invested time is gargantuan.” Furthermore, learning something new can aid us in our day-to-day life by A. giving us new ways to think about old problems, B. creating a new sense of spaciousness and C. giving us new energy.

To read more about why you shouldn’t stop learning just because you graduated and got a job, head over to Qz.com to explore the full article.

How To Remain Relevant In A World Fueled By Work

It should come as no surprise that companies are putting continual learning at the forefront of their business strategies. After all, fostering a work culture full of lifelong learners benefits the organization just as much as it benefits the employees. In fact, many experts are predicting a future were learning and working will become indistinguishable. Moreover, this shift already resides in our world – co-ops, internships and apprenticeships. So what does this evolution of the workplace look like going forward? An influx of companies who make learning and training a normal part of the workday.

You’ve probably heard of the ‘Great Resignation’ – a phrase coined by the effects of the pandemic. Many workers are rethinking their jobs (and not just because of the pay). Because of this dramatic upheaval, employers are now having to reevaluate their recruiting strategy and how they retain current employees. But with every negative comes a positive – a new wave called the ‘Great Blending’ which encompasses learning and work blended as one.

To understand why we must embrace a world of continuous learning and doing, read the full article on Forbes.com.

How To Boost Continual Learning With Microlearning Strategies - Lifelong Learning Characteristics

Michelangelo once said, “I am still learning.”

We’ve talked about continual learning extensively, but what about microlearning? Do we retain information better in huge doses or smaller doses? Only recently has microlearning gained traction in the workplace. In fact, many organizations utilize this approach for onboarding, product training and sales training. Take a look at a few microlearning strategies your team can implement throughout the company’s training strategy.

  • Find the right learning platform. You need specific software to host the content and share the content with your employees.

  • Ask you employees to develop microlearning content. Who better to create the content then the knowledge experts themselves?

  • Establish guidelines and an approval process. Guidelines will help ensure consistency as well make sure the content aligns with organizational standards.

  • Tell employees to focus on learning what they need. Have your employees learn what is most useful to them.

  • Gamify the learning. Learning doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, making microlearning a friendly competition will more often than not lead to an increased participation.

… and more.

To learn why microlearning is a more suitable way for employees to learn on the job, head over the SearchHRSoftware.TechTarget.com to read the full article.

How Learning Leads To Company Loyalty

A recent LinkedIn learning report found that 94 percent of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development. That same report also found that 87 percent of millennials say development is important in a job compared to 69 percent of non-millennials. The need for learning and training and programs is something that can’t be ignored. After all, if you aren’t actively involved in your employees’ training, how will you truly know their full potential? In fact, training builds opportunities for employees to add value to their company and ultimately drive the company’s success.

A good training program begins with knowing what you want to measure and then personalizing the process for each individual employee. Because as you know, everyone learns differently and at their own pace. The most effective form of learning is microlearning (which we discussed previously). But if you want an easy win, try creating an organization-wide learning day that allows employees to focus only on honing a needed skill.

To dive deeper into why learning breeds business loyalty and some extra characteristics of lifelong learning, read the full article on Forbes.com.

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