I meet with many companies as a marketing consultant.
One of the first things I notice is if learning, training, and curiosity are a part of their culture. How does leadership build into the organization a chance for employees to improve their skills, share new ideas and benefit their career and the company?
A training culture means that there is an intentional investment in improvement. The leadership teams want the company always to improve, better themselves, and bring fresh and new thinking to the daily challenges faced. This isn’t about spending big dollars – it is the simple act of showing that new ideas are valued.
What Have You Recently Learned?
A company I worked with a few years ago had an interesting approach to business.
Once per quarter, their leadership team would free up a day where anyone could book time with one of the top executives to bring a new idea about the business. It didn’t have to be formal like a PowerPoint presentation, but needed to be well-thought-out and address the critical question – how will what you recently learn to help our customers?
Note – they didn’t want ideas that would save money. They had teams continuously working on that issue. But instead, they focused on how the company could make life better for their customers.
They found that if they wanted to create a learning culture, they needed to provide leadership and attention. What new ideas or approaches might could help the business by focusing on their customers needs?
Three Ways to Build A Culture of Learning
- Bring in Outside Speakers. This can highlight that the company wants to invest in finding new solutions. Start small if budgets are tight – but do something. Make it a little more important than just a “lunch and learn.” But start somewhere – maybe get a speaker who can talk about the future of Ai or new ideas based on trends in an unrelated industry. This can be done via Zoom or in-person post Covid.
- Assign Books to be Read. Many exciting books can stimulate a new way to look at challenges like Upstream by Dan Heath, Deep Fakes by Nina Schick, and The Marketing Rebellion by Mark Schaefer. Reimburse employees for the books – but ask them to read to bring new insights into the company. Creating book review sessions where anyone can present a few key learnings from something they read. This type of encouragement may spark a culture of curiosity.
- Watch Ted Talks Together. Pick a day of the month when you show a Ted Talk to an audience in a virtual conference room. After the 20-minute video ends, have a facilitator lead a conversation about what they heard, what they learned, and if there are any ideas from the talk that could apply to your mission. Fertilize the culture with seeds of knowledge.
What are you doing to spark your employees to learn, grow, and contribute beyond their everyday role?
How are you shaping the culture you want for your company?
Need help with some ideas to stimulate a culture of learning?
I can help. You can set up a time chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conver?sation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com. Let’s explore working together today.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
