20 ways to prepare yourself for modern workplace learning

Listed below (in the left hand column) are 20 things that you, as a learning professional, will need to have done PERSONALLY in order to be adequately prepared to support new approaches to workplace learning in your organisation PROFESSIONALLY (as shown in the right-hand column).

How many can you check off on the left? If it’s not more than a handful, then you might want to find out how to become a modern lifelong learner.

How many can you check off on the right? If not more than a handful, then you might want to take a look at our new online resource, Continuous Improvement, Learning & Development.

What you need to have done
PERSONALLY
In order to help your organisation
PROFESSIONALLY
NEW MINDSET

1

You realise that learning in the workplace is more than being trained or taking e-learning courses; ie that it happens in many different ways as people do their jobs at work, from interactions with people as well as from personal learning activities. L&D can help the organisation value the learning that happens through a multitude of experiences in and out of work, by encouraging and supporting it in new ways, and enabling the the sharing of relevant experiences.

2

You recognise that you need to take personal responsibility for your own continuous learning and development to ensure you remain marketable in the industry. L&D cannot provide everything everyone needs for their jobs, so need to help organisations recognise (and support) the fact that continuous self-improvement is as much an individual’s responsibility.
NEW WAYS OF LEARNING

3

You have built a strong professional network of connections (aka PLN) on a social networts like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+, with whom you interact and learning form on a daily basis – and which you regularly review to ensure they bring you value. L&D can help individuals build their own professional networks (aka PLNs).

L&D can organise a range of networking events to foster connections and relationship building within the organisation.

4

You subscribe to a number of blog and website feeds to keep up to date with new ideas, thinking and resources in the field. L&D can help individuals to locate useful sources to keep up to date in their industry and profession and/or provide a trusted feed of new ideas and resources.

L&D can create resources in relevant and appealing modern formats.

5

You have located and used a variety of other resources, like YouTube videos, podcasts, slidesets, etc and identified trusted sources.

6

You use a variety of alerts and curation services to gather new articles and resources in your field.

<7

You have participated in social courses and MOOCs to understand their benefits and constraints. L&D can identify valuable MOOCs for those who still prefer formal learning experiences

L&D can offer guided social learning experiences.

8

You have been an active participant in a number of online communities and understand the activities involved in of community management and what makes a good community manager. L&D can better manage or support the management of organisational communities.
NEW SKILLS

9

You are able to validate the resources you find for accuracy, currency and authority, etc. L&D can help to develop effective personal learning/knowledge management skills in their people.

10

You have developed a range of filters to help you avoid information overload from the multitude of sources you use, in order to isolate the “gems”.

11

You are able to connect the dots between the new resources and ideas you have encountered.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL-SETTING AND EVIDENCING

12

You have identified your own personal and professional goals (aligned with organisational objectives) for the next 6 months, and the actions you will take to achieve them. L&D can help individuals to take responsibility for their own professional development: their self-development plans, as well as how to evidence their achievements.

13

You evidence achievement of your own goals – not just through what you have learned but what you can now do as a result in a Digital Portfolio
DAILY LEARNING WORKOUT

14

You spend at least 30 minutes a day on learning something new using the resources and formats that best suit you. L&D can help individuals develop their own daily learning workout to become an independent continuous learner.
LEARN FROM YOUR DAILY WORK

15

You spend time reflecting on your daily working activities in order to learn from these experiences. L&D can help individuals to find the best ways to reflect on their own daily work and extract the learning from the work.
DEAL WITH PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS

16

You solve your own performance problems by finding valid resources in appropriate formats. L&D can help individuals become self-reliant and self-sufficient problem-solving
BE PART OF A SOCIAL WORK TEAM

17

You are a committed member of a social work team – where a supportive, sharing and collaborative culture are seen as key to effective work. L&D can help other teams in their organisation become successful social teams showing them how to share effectively, work out loud, as well as make good use of underpinning social technologies. It’s not about telling other people to be social!

18

You regularly share relevant work experiences with your colleagues so that they can benefit from them too through working out loud.

19

You regularly share resources and ideas that you have encountered outside of work by explaining their value to your colleagues.

20

You make good use of social and collaboration platforms or tools (like enterprise social network, or other group tools to underpin your social team activities.