A Fresh Start for Learning — Part 2: Learning Goals
Jan 27 • Written by Julie Dozier
Try our 3-step approach to helping employees set individual learning goals.
Welcome back! We’re harnessing that new year energy to draw more attention to learning in 2022. In Part 1, we explored the power of reflection activities for learning teams. Part 2 is all about learning goal-setting.
Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash
This month, my social media feeds have been a mix of some people sharing their goals and others saying, “Um, no goals this year — I’m just going to focus on existing.” But for most people, this time of the year presents an opportunity to reflect and reset. Many people probably have some learning-related goals in their personal lives.
Our recommendation is that learners should be encouraged and empowered, but not forced, to set individual learning goals beyond the required learning they are asked to do. These learning goals may support their performance in their current role or prepare them for a future role — their choice. But it doesn’t hurt to plant a few ideas!
Step 1. Give employees new ways to think about development goals.
To give people new ways to think about learning, we need to think outside the box ourselves. Here’s an example I was inspired by this year.
This article is about small ways to infuse your daily routine with joy. The idea of building a small habit is certainly more approachable than tackling a huge goal. What if we were to suggest to our employees “7 Easy Ways You Can Add Learning to Your Daily Routine in 2022”? Finding time for learning is half the battle. Let’s give employees and teams realistic ideas for continuous learning activities and habits they can adopt. This is also a chance to expand the definition of development and showcase all types of learning.
Step 2. Invite team members to share learning goals with each other.
Sharing your goals with your manager promotes accountability, but asking teams to share their goals with each other has a different tone and additional benefits.
In this Slate Working podcast, the hosts share their creative resolutions with each other. I was inspired by their ideas. They prompted me to consider my own creative goals for this year and be more intentional about those resolutions.
Hearing your team members’ learning goals in the workplace can spark ideas about topics to focus on. It can lead to team members setting goals together or learning from each other. It can motivate employees to set bigger goals than they would have otherwise.
Also, as a learning team, consider sharing your learning goals with the whole organization. As insiders, you know everything about the learning resources that are available to your colleagues. This is a subtle and effective way to link employees to great resources and learning opportunities that you’re excited about participating in. Each person can share something different so your team is collectively offering a range of ideas to appeal to different personalities and needs.
Step 3. Ask teams to set a shared learning goal.
We also recommend that teams set a shared learning goal for the year — something they want to learn together. This goal will likely be linked to a specific business outcome. Maybe they want to boost their performance, or maybe they want to broaden their perspective by learning something a little outside their normal scope of work. Another approach is for each person to learn something new, perhaps on a theme that the team decides together. Then each person can teach their team members so they all have a chance to learn from each other.
Provide a way for teams to share their shared goals with the organization, and plan ways to celebrate the teams’ achievements throughout the year!
Your turn
What are you trying at your organization? Share in the comments below!