Cycle of Learning and Development
To be a more effective learner—as well as a more effective teacher, manager, leader, or coach—it is useful to keep the above framework in mind, as this Learning and Development model will show you how to keep the wheel of learning turning, as you cycle through the Emotional, Intellectual, Developmental, and Behavioral phases.
Speaking of “keeping the wheel turning”…if you were a teenager learning, for the very first time, to drive a car, you would need to be:
1. Emotionally ready, in terms of your desire and willingness to learn how to drive.
2. Intellectually open to learning what you need to know, from reading the driver’s manual to learning how to put the key in the ignition and step on the gas and brake pedals.
3. Developmentally open to putting the knowledge you’ve gained into practice on the open road.
4. Behaviorally ready to develop “driving a car” as a new skill.
Similarly, in the workplace, learning starts with the “Emotional” component. Even in today’s world in which “the robots are taking over,” we are still, primarily, dealing with human beings most of the time. And humans have emotions. They get hungry, tired, hot, cold, stressed, anxious, overloaded, and overwhelmed. They can be engaged, partially engaged, or disengaged. They can be motivated or demotivated…or anywhere in between, on any given day. They can be in a good mood or bad, open or closed.
We can’t forget or underestimate the human element when managing and leading, or training and coaching. People have to want to learn, feel a need to learn, realize and accept that they don’t already know everything, and be ready, willing, and able.
Once they are in a mind-set that is receptive to learning and development, the next phase is the “Intellectual.” This component is about the acquisition of knowledge in the form of information. And this information can come from a wide range of sources, from articles and books and videos to real-world experience. The 70-20-10 rule, developed by McCall, Eichinger, and Lombardo of the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), suggests that, at work, 70 percent of a person’s learning comes from firsthand work experience, 20 percent comes from peer-to-peer learning, and just 10 percent comes from formal training and coaching. So, while many employees expect their companies to train and develop them, the reality is that the personal responsibility for one’s professional development lies within each of us.
Following the knowledge gained during the Intellectual stage is the experiential learning that occurs during the “Developmental” stage. This is where we put ideas into practice and learn through doing. As I always say, the true value of knowledge is not in its accumulation, but in its application. This is where you put your ideas into action to gain wisdom through firsthand experience.
And the last phase is the “Behavioral.” This is where, as a result of possessing a positive, open attitude toward learning, pursuing knowledge, and gaining experience through real-world applications, we build new skills and habits.
But don’t forget that this model is a cycle for a reason. And the reason is that we need to keep the wheel turning—maintaining a positive attitude, continuing to seek new knowledge, continuing to practice, and continuing to gain new skills. As many have said, the future of work is about learning, unlearning, and relearning; for in an ever-changing world, if we’re standing still, we’re falling behind…because everyone else is charging full-steam ahead. Or, as Marshall Goldsmith put it in the title of his terrific book: What Got You Here…Won’t Get You There.
In Review
The Big Lesson: To keep learning and growing, be sure to pay attention to all four stages of the cycle.
The Big Question: How can you use this model to take your skills to the next level?
Your Big Insight:
Your Big Action: