I’m a huge fan of lifelong learning – I really do believe that the only way you can improve your business is to constantly improve yourself. The key here is to find a learning method that works for you. It could be:
- Watching a video on YouTube
- Listening to an audio book
- Catching up with your favourite business podcast
- Picking up an old-fashioned paperback and learning from an expert
Whichever method works for you, it’s important to make a habit out of learning. For me, this is the regular 30-minute commute between Peterborough and my home in Wistow. I select the audio book from my Audible library, connect the phone to the car’s audio system and enjoy half an hour of top learning. At the moment, it’s ‘Black Box Thinking’ by Matthew Syed.
What have I learned in those regular 30-minute commutes whilst listening to Matthew Syed? That failure is the surest route to success. That a process of trial and error (bottom up, not top down) can lead to great things – the Dyson cyclone vacuum cleaner is used as an example. Also, it is organisations that build a culture where they want to learn from failure (rather than blame someone, or cover it up) that do best. This really resonated with me because of my 31-year connection with aviation in the Royal Air Force. We created a ‘Just Culture’ in which aircrew were actively encouraged to discuss and learn from near misses and mistakes.
So, if you’re a business owner, I recommend 3 steps to lifelong learning:
- Commit to a new identity and tell yourself that you are a lifelong learner
- Make time for, and a habit out of, learning – find that space in your life, like my commute, where you can learn without distractions
- Keep a notepad, or Word document, that has your greatest learning in it – now and again, refresh the learning and cement the ideas in your head by taking 30 minutes out to review your notes.
Start today, build a habit – it will pay you back over and over again!
