Jim Clemmer's Leader Letter

The August issue of The Leader Letter featured articles and reader input on "Too Busy to Learn" (read the August issue at http://www.clemmer.net/newsl/aug2006.html. In September, this discussion continued. I also responded to a reader by outlining "My Personal Learning Habits" (read the September issue at http://www.clemmer.net/newsl/sep2006.html.

Following, are experiences and perspectives shared by three readers. I am in strong agreement and fully supportive of Rick's practical 'how-to' advice.

"Hi Jim,

"Your e-newsletter continues to impress me with both its design and content. I especially appreciate your practical and inclusive approach, like the invitation to offer ideas and comments.

"The current thread about continuing learning is one that strikes a chord for me. For several years, I have been leading an MBA course in Management Skills Development and I have been able to witness the significant career and life changes accomplished by many who have taken this course. Based on this experience, I would offer a few rules of thumb for effective learning:

1. "Be clear about where you want to be, within a reasonable time frame. For my course, I ask people to look three to five years out and to be as specific as possible about the position or role they see themselves in at that time. Beyond defining a career goal, people also need to validate it through conversations with mentors, current or potential managers, human resource professionals and others. This ensures that the goal is grounded in reality and represents an informed choice rather than a pipe dream.
   
   
2. "With a clear sense of direction, the next step is to get a crisp, clear picture of where you are today. The tools for this are many, including multi-source feedback, self assessment instruments, formal appraisals, and updated resumes. These inputs will be used to produce an inventory of strengths and developmental challenges, derived from diverse sources.
   
   
3. "The next steps in the learning process help the individual choose and focus on those critical few skills that will allow noticeable progress. I suggest selecting two strengths to sustain and two challenges to develop. For me, it is vitally important to maintain focus on strengths while addressing one or two areas that require attention. This is more rewarding, since changing less effective behaviors can be difficult. And to the surprise of many, people often report improvement in both strengths and challenges.
   
   
4. "Once the focus areas are decided, a structure for fulfillment is needed to ensure success. That means applying the same kind of discipline and rigor to sustaining and developing skills as you would to creating a new marketing plan or upgrading a production process. So, there is a need to create plans, identify measures for tracking progress, set specific targets to be achieved, and design feedback loops to ensure things go as intended.
   
   

"What never ceases to amaze me is the creativity and power that people bring to such a simple approach. For example, people employ a wide range of tracking tools, such as learning journals, action logs, mini-360 surveys, physical measures (e.g. weight, heart rate), job observations (watch me, give me feedback) and more. The combination of structure (clear goals and project framework) and freedom (choose the areas that are meaningful to you, select your own measures and targets and feedback mechanisms) seems to work well for a wide range of individuals and various learning styles.

"Of course, context is important and so it is important to acknowledge that this work is completed within a graduate degree course; a paper based on the developmental projects does contribute to the final grade. In spite of this, feedback - often received months or even years after the final marks have been recorded - suggests that this continuing learning approach is valuable and effective. What the course context does, is get people's attention and legitimize paying attention to themselves and their career development. Once that happens and people see the results that are produced, they are much more likely to take care of their ongoing learning.

"And for me, I find the opportunity to engage with such talented and committed groups of learners to be the greatest gift for me and my own learning.

"Keep up the good work,"

- Rick Fullerton, PhD, Principal, Fullerton Consulting, Fletcher's Lake, NS, Canada

"Working at the University of Florida has great perks. I try never to eat lunch alone, inviting colleagues, graduate students, and faculty to go out or brown bag whenever I can. Casual conversations are very important to my learning and retention and are a great way for me to discover what others are reading/researching/teaching. I also audit courses (when I have time) and have been a teaching assistant for the College of Engineering course, Advanced Quality Management & Engineering for Business Processes. Finally, my children are required to read for 60 minutes a day, so we make it a family affair. I read a minimum of the hour with the kids, sometimes fiction, but more often non-fiction. It's important for the kids to see you 'study' for your job and continually learn.

"Great e-zine. I enjoy it a great deal."

- Allan Preston, Coordinator, PPD Quality Office, University of Florida

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"I found your article very informative and your approach practical. It is one that is easy to fit learning into, as it is the best use of a precious commodity...time. My two regular ways to learn are reading and listening.

1. "Reading.....I love to read all types of self-help books, on a variety of topics.
   
   
2. "Listening.....I think that this is my first and most important way of continuously learning. Listening seems to be becoming a lost art or skill. Listening to not only hear, but to understand is critical for a variety of reasons, but most critically to ensure a mutually successful relationship and partnership and to grow as an individual. If we can agree that we can learn from everyone and really listen to what each person says, then it is truly amazing how much we can learn in a given day. It may be the answer to a critical issue that we are challenged with, or it may be as simple as pointing out a solution to a challenge that we know we don't want to exercise. None the less, we learn in both situations.
   
   

"It is surprising how you can actually end up applying information gained, that you might have originally thought never applied to you."

- Joanne Vallat, Regina, SK, Canada