Whether it be employees completing training or students finishing their schooling, learning should never come to an end. Lifelong learners, at their best, create teams of loyal and high performers in companies that promote this type of culture.
In this article, we’ll discuss what the lifelong learning mindset is, why it’s important for businesses across various industries, and ryco.io’s impact on this sector.
What Is a Lifelong Learner?
There is no single, standardized definition of the term lifelong learner. But, to give a broad overview, a lifelong learner is an individual who prioritizes personal development through self-initiated education.
Lifelong learning can be both formal or informal, although it typically references the latter which is held outside of a formal educational institution. Regardless of the style of learning, lifelong learning is unique from standardized learning because it is voluntary.
The ultimate goal of a lifelong learner is achieving personal fulfillment, whether the learning is conducted within the walls of a classroom or outside of them– that doesn’t matter. Results can be accomplished as long as an individual is learning.
Why Lifelong Learners are Important
A lifelong learner mentality can ultimately be the greatest asset of a company. Once upon a time, it was believed that hard skills were more valuable than soft skills in business. In today’s world, we’re seeing that dynamic shift drastically.
Examples of hard skills: computer programming, accounting training, etc.
Examples of soft skills: sense of humor, work ethic, time management, etc.
Companies Should “Hire for Attitude, Train for Skills”
Southwest Airlines has been widely credited for embracing the “hire for attitude, train for skills” methodology, further promoting the sense that soft skills are the greatest assets in employees. Despite Southwest’s origins with this mindset, examples can be seen across businesses worldwide today.
For example, world renowned institutions Stanford Research Center, the Carnegie Foundation, and Harvard University together conducted research titled The Soft Skills Disconnect. In this study, they were able to breakdown job success as follows:
15% from hard skills
85% from well-developed soft skills
Lifelong Learners Promote Long-Term Success
Companies should always persist in hiring lifelong learners even in the face of ever changing and demanding retention and recruitment challenges, much like today. The qualities of a lifelong learner will always embody a growth mindset, which is why it’s a smart move for businesses to seek these types of individuals out.
Businesses will be more likely to attain long-term success and better position themselves against competition with the notion of supporting a consistently evolving and developing culture.
Lifelong Learning Is an Invaluable Business Asset
From a business perspective, lifelong learning is invaluable as it brings with it individuals who are:
Creative
Loyal
Adaptable
The fast-paced changes of the world today tend to be handled better by those with a mindset toward evolving and learning. Lifelong learners pick up new skills much more quickly than their static counterparts because they have the flexibility to thrive and adapt to dynamic environments.
Creativity
In a seemingly unpredictable global economy, lifelong learning is considered an economic imperative. For businesses, this means that hiring lifelong learners can be their only sustainable competitive advantage.
Especially in the long run, employees who encompass the lifelong learning mentality prove to be higher performers amongst peers. The focus on improving their talents and skills and prioritization of their curiosity clearly sets them ahead of the rest.
Loyalty
Despite being offered more professional opportunities along the way, lifelong learners tend to be intrinsically more loyal. They have higher levels of enjoyment and fulfillment, as long as they are given ample opportunities for career advancement and professional development. They also have a learning mindset that promotes original problem solving and creativity all while being more engaged at work.
Adaptability
Today, any given career is bound to endure changes which means employees have to be committed to the fluctuations. Employees need to keep learning and gaining skills at every level, especially in technology and related fields.
When the next inevitable change rolls through, encouraging the lifelong learning mentality will ensure adaptable and agile talent with relevant skills and the flexibility to pivot.
How to Promote Lifelong Learning
Promoting lifelong learning within an organization begins with the talent you bring in. Thankfully, now more than ever, companies are finding increased flexibility in who they are able to hire thanks to the growing gig economy and part-time contract work.
Hire Lifelong Learners
Harvard Business Review took a deep dive into lifelong learners and how to acquire them for your business. According to their studies, hiring lifelong learners boils down to asking one imperative interview question:
“How do you learn?”
An individual’s response to this question should quickly relay their personal interest in sharing knowledge, improving on a personal level, and updating their skillset.
Focus on Learning
Organizations must focus on embracing and building a culture of learning to retain growth-minded employees. Businesses must not only focus on cultivating organizational buy-in but also dedicate time and resources necessary to support continuing education and career advancement in order to encourage a learning culture.
ryco.io and Lifelong Learners
Here at ryco.io, we understand that behind every online course is a strong community supporting it. For us, that includes the support network within and outside of the digital walls that makeup ryco.io.
As a company, ryco.io is filled to the brim with educators who all play a pivotal role in promoting the lifelong learning mindset. Our team spends time learning how to utilize new technology, build better products, and understand our audience. To us, this growth mindset is what separates us from the rest of the competition. We understand having to keep up with current eLearning trends in the education sector and the latest Edtech.
Final Thoughts
Lifelong learning is an attribute the team at ryco.io prides itself in. Not only does this benefit individual growth, but the company as a whole.
In the end, this mentality of lifelong learning keeps ryco.io one step ahead of competitors as we continue to move forward with the latest trends and technology in education. We are all genuinely excited to see everything that the future holds for eLearning.