Are you a learning Ninja?
Do you question the status quo often?
Do you like challenging roles and assignments?
Do you fail often and adapt quickly?
Do you seek feedback actively and regularly?
Do you continuously update your knowledge and expertise?
If you have said yes to all of the above, then voila you are a learning Ninja!
If not, read further.
Alvin Toffler in his book Future Shock right in 70’s said “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
The two key attributes of success in any career are learning ability and agility. However, the research puts more emphasis on agility than ability. Learning ability is more IQ based while Learning Agility is more of an attitude combined with behavioral skills. So, agility starts where ability ends.
A study at Korn Ferry suggests this.
- People with more learning agility are 5 times more likely to be engaged at work.
- The organizations that employ learning agile people improve their profit margins by 25%, than their peer companies.
- Organizations promote employees with higher learning agility 2 times faster. So then, what is Learning Agility?
Learning Agility in simple words means, ’knowing what to do, when you don’t know what to do’. It means being fluid enough to harness on new experiences, to yield learnings that can help you ride out the complex and uncertain situations. People who show learning agility are more responsive, risk takers, resilient and exhibit growth mindset. And hence it is a reliable indicator for high order leadership skills.
In current VUCA times, Learning Agility becomes a necessary skill to possess. So, how can you be a Learning Ninja?
Learning Agility is not a single skill but a broad area encompassing five major spheres where you can develop, to improve your Learning Agility.
- Change Agility : Deal effectively with the discomfort of change
- Experience new things
- Have passion for new experiences
- Have motivation to investigate uncertain situations
- Mental Agility : Thinking Critically to solve complex problems
- Be curious
- Think laterally and outside the box
- Develop analytical thinking
- People Agility : Understanding people to multiply collective performance
- Connect with people at an emotional level and show empathy
- Build rapport with diverse people
- Understand your impact on others
- Results Agility : Delivering results in complex and uncertain situations
- Keep focus on the goals
- Be creatively confident
- Ready to fail and quick to adapt
- Self Awareness : Being reflective and knowing themselves well
- Seek active feedback
- Be more mindful
- Reflect on your performance
The reality today requires new ways of working. The jobs of today may not even exist in future. In these highly uncertain times, nourishing these five sets of qualities can make you a skillful ‘Learning Ninja’ to slay all the future challenges and be successful.
