Life-long learning is a mindset
At True & North, we are passionate advocates of life-long learning. From learning to surf in our 40s, studying a new language in our late 30s, or acquiring fundamentally new skills at our jobs, we are amazed by the joy & impact learning brings.
We have asked two of our favourite L&D Experts how we can encourage and enable a learning mentality in individuals and organisations.
Vanessa Palmer is the Director of People Development & Learning at L’Oréal UK & Ireland. Vanessa has over 20 years of experience and strong results in Learning, HR, and Commercial roles. Vanessa is passionate about helping people achieve their potential and upskill themselves, inside and outside of work. Outside the office, Vanessa is a proud mom of 2 boys, and we know first-hand how committed she is to enabling everyone to find their way, in learning and beyond.
Tim Egan has been working in tech since 2005, coaching and building teams at companies like Apple, Google, Meta and now Xero. Although he currently leads the global delivery team for Xero’s Sales Enablement function, his career has taken him through many different chapters across Sales, Service and Product Marketing in North America, Europe and Asia. Ultimately, anchoring on strengths and understanding the overlap between the work that gives you energy and the work that serves the business has helped him to find his way into his sweet spot in Enablement.
From your experience, why is having a learning mindset important?
VANESSA: In any industry, the only sure thing is change, which is why we all need to adapt and grow to meet the demands of both today’s and tomorrow’s world. Learning is much more rewarding if you are engaged in it and see the purpose, and that’s why it’s key to be courageous when it comes to your upskilling and development, even if it’s not always easy to learn a new skill. Also, if you’re continuously learning then you tend to feel happier and more fulfilled in your career and life.
How much of the learning mentality is driven by personality, and how much can organisations foster & enable?
TIM: I think learning as a professional mindset often starts with the individual, but it has to be nurtured by the environment to flourish. In the past, I’ve seen even the most eager learners have their enthusiasm dampened by a lack of psychological safety, a closed leadership mindset or poor practices around giving and receiving feedback. On the flip side, I’ve also seen individuals who had learning very low on their agenda be completely energised by an environment where they felt safe to experiment and ask for help, where leadership modelled a growth mindset and where there was a strong culture of productive, candid feedback.
Is there such a thing as a learning/training overdose? How can you find a winning learning formula?
VANESSA: Definitely, and people don’t like being forced to learn. That’s why you need to meet them where they are at. Online, in the classroom, at conferences etc. At L’Oreal we’ve moved to learn into the flow of work, so it is now part of a normal week, including once a month on a Friday afternoon when the entire organisation pauses to engage in learning.
Bitesize learning is more manageable and less full-on, and people tend to absorb more overall. There is however still a place for more concentrated training sessions — you just have to challenge when this is right and when something different is better.
If you could teach/learn just one skill, what would it be?
TIM: Giving and receiving timely, candid feedback that’s focused on impact and outcomes. In my experience, there’s nothing better to foster an ongoing culture of learning and growth.
VANESSA: I think the ability to learn and upskill yourself is probably the most important — without this the others become much harder to achieve. There is also a much-needed shift towards the importance of softer skills such as empathy and listening — the human touch, which is something AI will not be able to bring!
Your top tip for companies looking to embrace a keener learning mentality?
TIM: Work with your leadership team to help them understand their key role in creating a safe and productive learning environment for the whole organisation. Model the behaviours of giving great feedback, working through pre and post-mortems and challenging the work instead of the individuals.
What is your top tip for employees on how to integrate training learnings into their regular job?
VANESSA: Everyone can make a case for being too busy to invest in learning. But look around you and you’ll see that many of your senior leaders are investing in learning, for themselves and their teams. My team and I have launched a Lunch and Learn session on a Wednesday. We book a room, grab some food and take turns to bring a keynote speech, seminar or e-learning to the session. It’s great, and a fun and informal way to learn together. Alternatively, a colleague spends 30 minutes of his commute in the evening upskilling via podcasts or L’Oréal’s online learning platform, One Profile. Find your way, and commit!
