November 2022 is National Career Development Month. November 14-18 is National Career Development Week! What better way to kick off celebrations than by talking about learnership? Have you ever heard of this concept?

What is Learnership?

Put simply, learnership is the skill of learning. Yes, a skill. Not a task, a prescription, or something someone said you had to do. In her book ‘Promotions are so Yesterday’, Julie Winkle Giulioni even calls it “today’s meta-skill.” 

Learnership is about:

• learning how to learn
• defining what is “quality” learning for you, which means being able to identify what will serve you best in your learning and development journey, and ultimately in your career!

Learnership also includes the idea that you actively take charge of your learning and do not rely heavily or solely on your manager, leadership, or other people in your network. The learning path(s) you choose will be centered around your unique interests and curiosity, and you will strategically choose what will support your personal and professional evolution, as your work or business requires you to evolve. 

This is the perfect moment to let go of people-pleasing and focus on your net self-promoter score! Instead of choosing a prescribed training, following a pre-set curriculum, or moving through levels and modules, you strategically decide what new skills, habits, or content you want to learn to achieve a larger personal or professional goal. Decide what you are personally interested in, think about how it will serve you next, and what is the best format for your learning. Remember that what you decide to do today, will help you be more successful tomorrow. 

Reflection:

Let’s pause here. Take a few seconds to write down what you are currently actively learning or thinking about learning to become better at what you do or to achieve a career goal. What comes up for you? Regardless of your situation or level in your organization, think about what skills you want to acquire next, to feel engaged in your work, or to get to the next level.  

How to get there? 

Here are some general tips to start on your learnership journey. 

• Start with your interests and ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I need to learn next?
2. What’s in it for me to engage in this type of growth?
3. How does this growth fit into my larger career goals?
4. What do I hope to do with my new skills, knowledge, or capacity now?

• If you find it difficult to identify new skills, look at this list of high-demand skills and choose one or a few:

• Whenever possible, engage with your manager and your team to understand how these skills would fit with your scope of work. Seek advice, and feedback on the plan, and leverage your network for resources. If you are a manager and want to support your employees in their learnership goals, feel free to use the same questions as above. 

• Ideally, connect with a coach to create an actionable learnership journey to keep you accountable. They will help you explore your options, define your strategy, set goals, and create a timeline. Then they will ensure you stay accountable to your goals, and they will support you if you need to course-correct at any point. 

• Track your learning and start implementing it in your day-to-day! Engage in feedback and reflection with yourself, your manager, and your network. 

• Finally, make sure to update your social media tools to showcase your new skills and competencies.

Get started on your learnership journey!

By now, you should have a clear understanding of the concept of learnership, and where you stand in your own leadership journey. Maybe you have already identified a learning goal, maybe you are still struggling to come up with ideas. I am hoping you feel ready and motivated to explore and take action. Remember, learnership starts with your unique passions, interests, and goals. Enlist the support of a coach if you need some personalized support to define what learnership means to you. Use this link to schedule a call with a team member to learn more.

Reference: Promotions are SO Yesterday, Julie Wingle Giulioni