Rocketship Scholars: The lifelong learning experience
Rocketship Scholars Series: Written by Kristin Bjerregaard
I have always been curious about broadening my horizons and learning new things. I think this lies in my family. My mum grew up in poor conditions in Norway in the 1940s and did not have access to higher education. This, however, did not stop her from continuing developing her skills and knowledge throughout her life. She completed a range of business and administration courses, attended multiple language classes, received a preschool teaching certificate and much, much more.
With my background in customer journey and funnel analytics it was therefore a no-brainer to join the Product Led Growth related SaaS Trial Rocketship course. I was interested in learning more about how to apply the techniques in a start-up environment, and learn more about product analytics. The course itself is not the only tool I use for career development, though. Reading books is also a great way for self-improvement.
Self-improvement can be defined as the process of continuously assessing your life goals, values and building your skills and qualities to reach your goals. By allowing you to explore key areas of self-improvement, you’re more likely to feel fulfilled in your personal and professional life. And it doesn’t stop just there.
Companies will also benefit
Self-improvement and career development is not only important from the individual’s point of view. It’s also important for businesses and organisations, then fostering a growth culture has numerous benefits. It increases innovation, employee engagement and satisfaction. A Better Buys survey found that retention rates are 34% higher for employees who have access to development opportunities. It’s also important in attracting talent. Job ads mentioning ‘growth mindset’ fill 1.5 times faster than jobs which lack growth mindset language. That rate increases to five-fold when phrases such as “learn new things”, “love learning” and “strive” are included.
To create the best learning environment companies need to understand the career and personal goals of the individuals. Transparent and honest communication is therefore key. Companies can encourage a growth mindset by clearly communicating the benefits it will have for the employee and their career goals, and how it relates to promotion opportunities and performance reviews.
Offering the right types of development opportunities is important as well. Since individuals often have different preferences, companies should offer a variety of options. Examples include training, reimbursing courses and books, attendance at conferences, internal workshops, and integrating learning time into daily routines. Taking the time and effort to create this will pay off for both the company and their employees, then a growth mindset culture will set everyone up for success.
Motivation to learn must come from within
We can get motivated by external factors, such as praise and money. But ultimately the motivation to learn has to come from within. When we are self-aware and know where we want to go, then learning and self-development becomes a tool to achieve our goals. We get motivated to learn the tools needed, and it can even have a spiralling effect as it opens up a world of new possibilities.
There are many small tweaks we can do in our lives if we really want to make a change, succeed and achieve our goals. A few hours per week for self-development might be one of the best and cheapest investments you can do.
Sadly, my mum passed away in 2003, but the older I get the more I realise how strong she was. I’m very impressed and forever grateful for all the things she has taught me about lifelong learning. As Loyal ‘Jack’ Lewman said “Never stop learning; for when we stop learning we stop growing”.
Note: Some of this content is based on a LinkedIn article which I wrote in March 2022.
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