Ron Macklin and Deb Dendy
The ongoing evolution in the labor tradition has transformed the way we learn. Historically, many individuals waited for their employers to feed them with the information or training they needed. However, that approach has gradually become obsolete. More and more responsibilities of life are being handed back to individuals, and it's necessary for us to take control of our learning journey.
By experimenting, failing, and trying again, we mold ourselves into valuable assets in the ever-changing marketplace. We can choose to stay relevant, choose to be valuable instead of waiting for instructions or following a prescribed path.
The process of learning often takes place within the real-world context of actions, experiments, and experiences. Instead of viewing failures as ends in themselves, we should see them as avenues through which we can learn.
There is immense joy in being able to design your tasks, run your own experiments, and figure out how to do things better. Moreover, there's a satisfaction that comes from seeing the positive impact of our actions and the value we add to the company. Being responsible for this output, triumphing over challenges, and making meaningful contributions is addictive. It makes one feel involved and invested.
However, there are also those who resist the wave of change, holding fast to the old ways of working and learning, and this morphs them into what could be referred to as 'antiques'. They inevitably struggle to stay relevant and valuable in a world that continues to innovate and evolve. To avoid being an antique, it's crucial to reinvent yourself, continually improve, and adapt. This calls for embracing and practicing continuous learning.
Each new year brings new lessons—things that we love to do, and things that we don't. We might manage to outsource some tasks that we don't like, yet there are some responsibilities that we have to accept and handle on our own. These are usually the tasks that matter most to us, and it's instrumental to our growth that we control them.
While we integrate external changes that occur around us, it's crucial to focus on internal changes as well—as individuals and as members of companies. To remain valuable, to heed the call for increased responsibility, and sometimes, to head towards uncertainty, are part of the treacherous yet fulfilling journey of learning.
The process of learning doesn't stop; it evolves. We may fail in various experiments that we perform, but every fall gives us the courage to rise. It's only when we learn to run our own race that we genuinely start sprinting towards success. The only constraint is that we have to be ready to take responsibility and be ready to learn. Our task is to rekindle the flame of curiosity, encourage experimentation, and continue the ever-evolving journey of learning.
So just as the year 2023 taught us how to learn to learn, may the next year and the years to come continue to teach us how to grow, adapt, and flourish.
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