You’re never too old to go

back to school

At this time of year, I’m sure many of us long to return to the days we spent

dreaming of our futures and learning new, exciting things…

although we probably didn’t realise how much we appreciated learning at the time!

It’s back-to-school season.

But those days can still exist.

The setting has changed and we’re a bit older, but we should still be

learning and developing every day.

So how can we get back into this habit

and why is it so important to?

Ever thought something was really interesting and then can’t even remember

what it is the next day?

It’s easy to do when you’re in a fast-paced business environment, jumping from one

thing to the next. That’s why I recommend keeping a ‘learning diary’.

Keep a ‘learning diary’

It’s doesn’t have to be complex; every time something interests or inspires you, simply jot it down. Review your notes at

the end of the week.

Is there anything you’ve learnt that you could implement in your business?

By getting into the habit of doing this, you will become a more innovative business leader. Involve your employees so a regular pool of

ideas is formed.

Block out learning timeThe diary is a great way of ‘passive

learning’, but you should also block out time for ‘active learning’.

Put an hour a week in your diary and treat it with the same importance as meetings.

But deciding what to learn can sometimes be challenging.

Start by looking at what things you already know a bit about, but that you’d like to know

more.

Improving a skill you already have and use daily is the best solution for your business.

Once you’re ‘skilled up’, you can start learning about totally new things that you could

implement in your business in the future.

As a business owner, you should be leading the way with learning, but by no means should you be doing all the

learning.

Share the value of learning

In addition to getting your employees to keep a learning diary and block out diary

time to skill up on specific topics, you may want to assign learning topics to them.

You can do this by instigating a conversation with them. Find out what they feel they want to improve on. The goal of learning is them getting better at their job, so focus on steps towards this.

One tool I would recommend for business owners and employees alike is LinkedIn’s

own learning platform, Lynda, as this features a wide range of topics for all skill

levels.

How do you keep up with learning in business?

@SafarazAli

Safaraz Ali