Become a Forever Student
In my first video for the HR Psych YouTube channel (go watch and subscribe if you haven’t!) I talked about the importance of learning. You do not have to have a degree from a fancy university for this tip to work for you. Read everything, watch everything, learn about everything.
Start by paying attention. When I first started in HR I quickly learned theres a lingo that the senior leadership team at my company was speaking that I did not understand. So I paid attention. What were they reading, what did they watch, who did they speak about with praise? Then I started reading those books, watching those TedTalks, and researching the people they looked up to. A wee bit stalker-like? Maybe BUT it gave me an opportunity to really learn about and understand the people that I worked with.
I didn’t always agree with the ideas or opinions but I was better able to understand their perspective because I pulled back the curtain on how their brains worked.
I take this same approach with most things in my life. For example, I don’t play sports. As a Star Wars nerd, I never enjoyed sports or really being outside with bugs and dirt! But I quickly learned that the titans of industry went to games, played golf, watched Sunday night football. Did I learn to play? Absolutely not! Still not a sporty person but I learned about the games, the teams, the silly jokes and decided, not my thing but I’m going to go to the games. I going to be there on the golf course when the important discussions are happening, even if I have to make fun of myself for hating sports while there.
I’ve learned about things like color theory because employees respond to colors in predictable ways and I always want them to have a good response to things I put out in the world. I learned about strategic seating because when you’re having difficult discussions with employees you want them to not feel trapped or intimidated. I learned about easy office workouts because they employees were developing back and neck pains. The list goes on.
It’s important to note that I don’t have a ton of free time to read books and watch TedTalks. What has worked for me is adding it to my calendar as an appointment with myself. I listen to audio books while driving, folding clothes, cleaning, etc. I enjoy a random car dance party like the rest of the world so I usually set a timer for 20-30 minutes then I put on music or a movie to make sure I don’t burn out my brain. And let’s face it, not everything you learn is going to be exciting. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to get through a book about business financial acumen. Added to the list of things that are not for me- numbers and sports!
As you take on this journey, I’d also recommend throwing in something personal. At any given time I’m reading two books. One for work and one for me. If I can help it, both are audiobooks or have a youtube video with it. I’m a very visual person and have no shame in enjoying a good picture book!
The most important part of being a forever student is in my opinion the easiest: TALK to people. Are people using words, acronyms, siting other businesses during meetings? Ask them about it. I wasn’t always comfortable telling everyone in a room - uhhh what are you talking about? So I would pull the speaker aside after the fact and ask for clarification on things. I’ve only come across one person who was annoyed with me for asking and that gave me an opportunity to share with them that I can better support them if I fully understand their needs and goals. They were still a bit grumpy but they explained and it lead to a great partnership between us. After years of pulling people aside, I started speaking up in the meetings and something wonderful happened- other people pulled me aside and thanked me for asking the question they had too! Remember you’re not alone in learning and you’re not dumb for not knowing something. It’s important to not be intimidated - they were taught too! They weren’t born knowing what EBITDA means!
I’ve added some of my favorite books into the store on this website. These are the books that have been recommended to me over the years that humanize leadership and development. I’ll add more books in the near future and would love to know about any recommendations you may have.
Happy Learning!
