Culture of Learning

By Shelley Osborne

During the near-decade I spent in education, I did my darndest to inspire and encourage my students to be lifelong learners. Stay curious. Keep learning new things. Always be growing, I’d tell them. Now, in the world of business, I find myself giving essentially the same advice to company leaders: Create a culture of learning within your company, from the get-go. Put structures in place to keep nurturing, supporting, and growing your people. After all, people are the lifeblood of thriving companies.

After all, people are the lifeblood of thriving companies.

So, how do you create a culture of learning within your company? Pretty simple, really. You do it by making Learning & Development (L&D) an integral part of your company’s DNA. A healthy L&D component makes sure that everyone in your company has access to learning and can continue to grow. And, investing in growing your people makes a big difference. Think: Perseverance instead of incompetence; engagement instead of indifference; innovation instead of stagnation.

A healthy L&D component makes sure that everyone in your company has access to learning and can continue to grow.

“OK, make L&D part of my company DNA. Got it. But what’s the rush? We just launched.” I’ve heard this time and again. And, time and again, I’ve witnessed this: Companies launch, full of optimism and excitement, and without a Learning & Development component in place. They’re up and running and off to the races! There’s a honeymoon period before, all of a sudden, they find themselves up a creek and needing to pivot. Needing to innovate. Leadership freaks out and starts demanding more. Morale breaks down. Employees begin to update their resumes. Company leaders are left with no choice but to play L&D catch-up in hopes of restoring optimism, and faith, in their company’s future. Some companies survive the catch-up phase and innovate their way back into the race. Many don’t.

Some companies survive the catch-up phase and innovate their way back into the race. Many don’t.

But, you can shore your company up from the start. Rather than wait for the need to arise, prioritize a culture of learning from the beginning. Put structures in place early on to connect everyone to the “big picture,” to share values and inspiration, and to launch company strategy and training. The culture of learning you create will support the lifeblood of your company: your people.