Unlearning is the new learning

This year’s annual eLN conference event was all around ‘Creating a culture of curious learners’ and what this means for Learning and Development professionals. In open and thought provoking talks, sessions and debates, we looked at how, as part of the Learning and Development industry, individuals and departments can build and foster learning cultures that thrive.

The morning kicked off with a powerful session by Nicole Bradfield who has a background in brand agency and is passionate about helping organisations lead and grow their teams with authenticity and future thinking. We engaged in discussions about the qualities needed for leaders in 21st century business and were surprised by the results of some research that Nicole had undertaken. From tech firms in LA, to corporate firms in Asia, to finance teams in London, the same qualities were agreed on…

Vulnerability. Creativity. Patience. Empathy. Courage. Conviction. Love. And curiosity.

Now, typically, the stories we’ve learnt about leadership and the examples displayed to us in the media don’t always align with the above. And what’s more difficult than learning something new is unlearning what you think to be true. If we, as individuals, can be open to deconstructing the ways in which we lead, then we can cultivate curious environments for ourselves and our team members to thrive in. And I’m not just talking about CEOs and MDs – I’m talking about every single person at every single level in an organisation. Because we all influence each other, we inspire one and other, fail and succeed next to each other… and we can learn from each other.

It was really refreshing to see professionals in the industry admit that they don’t have all the answers, recognise there is room for improvement and be open to change. We can’t escape the fact that the working world is, and has been, rapidly changing due to a shake-up of traditional approaches and an influx of technological development. It’s clear that no one has the perfect formula on how to react and respond to these changes. But with an open mind set, and action through the lens of the qualities above, we can ride this wave of change and make space for new ways of thinking…