Growth Through Learning

Episode 6

The Future of Learning and Growth in Organizations

How do leaders create and elevate team cultures of learning?

When we’re at work, most of our learning happens on the job, not in a classroom. The skills we gain contribute to our lifetime earnings, so the more we learn in our day-to-day work, but more we benefit. The more skills employees develop, the higher their incomes. However, not all workplace learning and development is cut from the same cloth. When leaders establish strong cultures of learning, they build more innovative and resilient teams that can weather any organizational change. But, relying solely on traditional departmental or formal training for career development means missing the opportunity to embed learning into a team’s DNA.

To survive, we must learn. W. Edwards Deming’s wise words exemplify the Growth Through Learning podcast. In this final episode, Hannah Brown explores practical first steps leaders can take as they work to implement or expand on cultures of learning in their organizations. We hear again from the people-focused leaders who have lent their voices throughout this series as they reflect on their own practices, listening and empathy chief among them, that helped cultivate success for their teams, themselves, and their organizations.

Lead your team in developing the skills they need for today and beyond

Why we must avoid the trap of focusing on results above all other metrics;
The widespread benefits of caring about and investing in your team;
Why it’s essential to clearly communicate your expectations around cultures of learning;
How to continue fostering your own learning mindset.

Important resources from the episode

Connect with the leader who share their story on the show

Julianna Morris, People Excellence and Academy Leader, Porsche Cars Canada
Adam Stephens, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement, The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth
Chantal McIntyre, Talent Strategist, Workplace Consultant, and Leadership Coach
Andrew Ambrose, Director of Learning, Aecon Group Inc
Christy Billan, Director of Small Business Lending Products, Farm Credit Canada
Robin Young, Director of Corporate Training Services at Durham College in Toronto

Connect with Hannah

To order her latest book, Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth Through Learning
Learn about the programs that help leaders and organizations develop a growth through learning orientation
Learn more about Hannah’s work

Follow and listen for free on your favourite podcast listening app!

Show Transcript

[OPENING THEME MUSIC IN]

HANNAH: When organizations and leaders focus on growth and embrace learning as the vehicle to achieve this growth, they create capacity for today and capability for tomorrow.

Too often, we sacrifice growth at the altar of results. We think it’s about performance, accountability, and profit, but all of this comes after employee and team growth. By cultivating growth through learning, companies increase the capacity of their employees. They build a workforce prepared for the future with all the demographic changes, skills shortages, and technology disruptions we will surely encounter. Learning moves out of the training department and into the fabric of the organization.

[PAUSE]

As W. Edwards Deming says, “Learning is not compulsory; it’s voluntary… But to survive, we must learn.” That quote exemplifies this whole podcast series.

So on this last episode, let’s use what we’ve learned so far to focus on your next steps as a leader. How can you adopt growth through learning in your work?

[MUSIC RISES]

This is Growth through Learning – a 6-part series that anchors employee learning and team development into the hands of leaders. It bridges the gap between formal training and learning that’s embedded in the DNA of teams.

I’m Hannah Brown. This is episode 6.

[MUSIC FADES/OUT]

Research focusing on the relationship between organizational learning and resilience, suggests that when organizations embrace learning, they’re more resilient. When they move away from a singular focus on output, action, and results, learning ironically functions as a critical driver for achieving results.

A 2023 McKinsey report indicates that employees also benefit. The skills employees learn on the job contribute to 46% of their lifetime earnings. The more skills someone acquires, the higher their income. When organizations focus on developing their people, their people benefit, and the organization benefits.

[MUSIC IN]

When I think of our organizations and the challenges we face, I see both opportunity and risk.

The opportunity is that we embrace employee learning and development. Leaders step into their role in developing cultures of learning alongside achieving results. In doing so, employees and teams become more innovative, resilient, and adaptable. They thrive in the face of constant change because employees are engaged and developing skills for current and future roles.

The risk is that organizations look to training departments and learning professionals as the sole source of developing employees. And miss the huge opportunity to embed learning into the DNA of their teams.

[MUSIC OUT]

JULIANNA MORRIS: Yes, they can take a course. I think taking a course is a great idea. You can learn different concepts, approaches, you know, it’s great.

HANNAH: That’s Julianna Morris, who heads up Porsche People Excellence in Training at Porsche Cars Canada. Julianna describes how formal training will only get us part way there. We need both sides of the bridge – formal training under the direction of human resources or learning and development, and a Growth through Learning orientation under the guidance of our leaders.

JULIANNA MORRIS: But taking a course on its own, without application, without mentorship, without guidance, without accountability for changing your behaviour, is just taking a course. And you don’t get that level of development where you actually step back and say, they don’t need me anymore. [LAUGHS] They’ve got this. And that to me is the proudest moment that a leader can have with their team is when you can actually sit back and go. Oh, no, you go ahead. You’ve got this. I don’t need to be at that meeting or I don’t need to be, uh, reviewing that document. I have full confidence in you. That is development. That is learning, that is growth. That is you as a leader taking ownership in developing your people.

HANNAH: In response to the stressors of today and the demands of tomorrow, it’s easy for leaders and organizations to fall into the trap of focusing on getting results above all other priorities. While getting quarterly results, making sales quotas, or meeting production targets may achieve results in the short term, an output-focused workplace churns and burns great people. It’s a short term focus that eliminates the possibility of long-term growth.

The alternative is developing people alongside achieving results. There needs to be flexibility in the workplace that allows for time to learn, freedom to experiment, and make mistakes without reprimand. Employees need to see a future for themselves that includes growing and learning new skills. Organizations need to be places where people grow. They need to provide more than a pay cheque.

[MUSIC IN]

In episode three Adam Stephens, the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth, talked about how people are not just human capital. Today, he reiterates this theme.

ADAM STEPHENS: Investing in one’s team is so highly important. I think that there are ways in which one can go about creating those bonds. You know, and really getting to what your team’s core values are as individuals, and being able to link those back to your core values as an organization I think are really key.

[MUSIC OUT/FADES]

HANNAH: To underscore how connection is fundamental, here’s Chantal McIntyre.

CHANTAL MCINTYRE: For the ones who really care and connect with people, that they feel a sense of service, like a sense of meaning in their role and being able to service or support someone else’s growth, I think it’s meaningful for leaders who care about that.

HANNAH: As a Talent Strategist, Workplace Consultant, and Leadership Coach, Chantal explores the benefits for the employee.

CHANTAL MCINTYRE: If they know someone’s watching and mentoring them and caring about their growth, they’re going to actually raise their own standard of performance…

HANNAH: Mmhmm.

CHANTAL MCINTYRE: …and their own standards…

HANNAH: Mmhmm.

CHANTAL MCINTYRE: …in terms of how they show up. They’re going to increase their confidence and they’re going to want to take on more and stretch themselves because it’s safe. It’s a safer…

HANNAH: Yeah.

CHANTAL MCINTYRE: …place. When your leader cares about your growth and truly cares, like they know that.

HANNAH: Both Adam and Chantal know that your leadership approach is central to your success – and that of your team and organization. Andrew Ambrose believes this too. As the Director of Learning at Aecon Group Incorporated, he points out that his philosophy is very much anchored in caring about his people as human beings.

ANDREW AMBROSE: I very much view my people, my people, they are my people. I’m not, you know, as a leader perspective we’re one sort of group and I think that I care about them very much and I know kind of a little bit about who they are and I want to know a little bit of what their aspirations are and kind of where they want to grow and do things. And I think when you know that it helps both organizationally, because I know where to align somebody maybe to where their aspirations or their passions are. But I think it also makes it a more fun place to work and you spend a lot of time with these people. Right and who doesn’t want to work with a team that enjoys each other and wants to get to a you know, a success together.

HANNAH: Andrew makes a good point. Your environment has been a key factor throughout this series.

Organizations that recognize personal learning precedes performance and growth, are exceptionally clear that their expectations of leaders is to prioritize learning alongside results. They document and communicate these expectations and the message aligns with the organization’s culture. This congruence between what’s said and what’s done ensures leaders make room for coaching and developing their people.

To support leaders, organizations provide resources, like training allowances, access to coaching, mentoring and perhaps training. Organizations celebrate leaders’ successes, which rewards their coaching efforts and reinforces a broader culture of growth and learning.

[MUSIC IN]

Having a Learning Mindset means learning is integrated into our lives. This can extend past our work life and into our personal lives too.

ANDY ROMBOUTS: Managing a team is a lot like raising kids. It’s taking care of them. It’s providing them the tools. It’s giving them guidance. It’s letting them fail a little bit.

HANNAH: Although it may sound silly, Andy Rombouts might be right. Andy is the retired Director of Support Services for London Health Sciences Centre, who shows us how being a leader at work is like being a leader in your family.

ANDY ROMBOUTS: The principles I think are the same. There are many, many, many leaders that would be falling off their chair rolling their eyes going, oh my god, this. No. No. I’m not a babysitter. I’m not a parent. And well, actually, we kind of are. And, you know, it changes as I’ve moved from being, you know, a frontline supervisor of a couple people to the director of this portfolio of 500 plus people, as you move up it becomes less about you and more about everybody else. Because I can’t expect everybody to be like me and I don’t want them to be like me. I have to understand who they are and adapt to them versus the other way around.

HANNAH: A Learning Mindset requires consistency – a habit of learning so we continue to learn and grow throughout our lives. Research into neuroplasticity tells us that our brains can continue to learn. It’s up to us to continuously choose to be curious and courageous.

[MUSIC OUT]

The time is now to invest in employee learning and growth. Research from McKinsey identified that 90% of respondents feel that their organizations need to act now or soon to close skill gaps. Yet, only 5% responded that their organizations are “all set” with addressing the capability gaps.

When organizations and leaders value growth through learning and prioritize professional development alongside getting results, they achieve long-term growth instead of short-term results. DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast, showcased that companies that invest in their bench strength – and develop their future leaders are 6 times more likely to be capable of engaging and retaining top talent. 5 times more likely to be able to prevent employee burnout. And 3 times more likely to be among financially top-performing organizations.

When organizations invest in leaders so they can be effective and create a culture of learning on their team, they’re taking a significant step in addressing the many challenges they face. Things like the effects of the global talent shortage and the constant change we all face. Employees develop new skills they need for today and prepare them for growth tomorrow.

[MUSIC IN]

While the leader’s role is instrumental in retaining and developing employees, it’s hard for leaders to be effective and the best versions of themselves when they’re burned out, just like their team members.

When we discussed the challenges that leaders face in episode 2, we felt the pressure from the top and the demands from their team. Yet, they need to continue to step into their leadership role because they’re the lynchpin between the organization’s executive leaders and its employees. They translate strategic goals into team and individual objectives. Leaders need to find a way to rise above these pressures and play the long game – prioritizing learning on their teams alongside meeting business objectives so employees develop new skills and have opportunities to grow. Leaders need a bias for growth that isn’t focused on the business but on the person. That isn’t about results but about progress.

[PAUSE]

Christy Billan, the Director of Small Business Lending Products at Farm Credit Canada, shares her progress and how she’s still learning and growing.

[MUSIC OUT/FADE]

CHRISTY BILLAN: I think I’ve been successful at taking on roles in areas again where I’m not the expert in taking in broader roles where I actually oversee far more pieces of work and way more people because I don’t need to be in the weeds and I’ve got those empowered teams that feel like they can make decisions and you know, you’re going to have to be intuitive, right, to the situations. And sometimes depending on what your employees need from you, there are situations, right, where just a tell is necessary to move forward. And so there’s probably like a art to figuring out when and how to best use that. And I’m sure I don’t nail it all the time. [LAUGHS]

Shifting that reward system I think, is the best way in which I’ve been able to sustain those changes. Um, because I think you kind of have to soul search of what’s motivating you to behave in this way. And I think that was beyond, you know, the reward of getting the capacity and having the space and time to do other things. I think the biggest thing is just still feeling like I’m adding value just in different ways.

HANNAH: When Christy increased her team’s capability, she also created a built-in succession plan. Succession plans, when nurtured through growth, play a role in ensuring organizational success for years to come. Christine Helgerman, the Director of St. John’s Christian Nursery School, shared her leadership story in episode 4. Now, she reflects on the success of her organization’s future.

CHRISTINE HELGERMAN: So the question was, if the bus hit me tomorrow, would St. John’s survive? 20 years ago, maybe not, because no one would have known anything. And that’s a lot of pressure on a leader. I feel like a good leader can walk away and that the organization can keep going. If a leader walks away and an organization falls apart, maybe the leader hasn’t done their job.”

[MUSIC IN]

HANNAH: Throughout this series, you heard of many factors that go into creating growth through learning. As this final episode shows, starting with a few foundations are instrumental in making that shift.

For organizations to thrive in our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, our people need to grow. When organizations focus on learning, leaders nurture a learning mindset in themselves and role model it for their employees. They are curious and continually learning. They are courageous in their experiments, learning from mistakes, and are comfortable with vulnerability. These leaders make learning part of who they are and how they show up. They lead with learning.

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

To get a general sense of all of this, I asked Len Switzer, Associate Director of Partnerships and External Relations at Michigan Technological University, about what’s made him successful as a leader.

LEN SWITZER: I have had people ask me similar questions before what’s the secret? And it’s really no secret. It’s listening and empathy. That’s the secret. [LAUGHS] And again that sounds super easy to say of course, but what I’ve learned is, you have to listen to people and where they’re coming from and where they’re at in their situation in life and in their career and, you know, just ‌in the world.

HANNAH: Through a foundation of listening and empathy, you can start to build growth through learning.

[CLOSING THEME MUSIC STARTS]

I hope you’ve found this podcast helpful in your leadership journey and that these leaders’ stories have illustrated why continuous learning needs to be at the centre of your leadership and your team’s culture.

Let’s end with Robin Young, Director of Corporate Training Services at Durham College in Toronto, who was featured throughout the podcast. Robin’s experience summarizes the entire series.

ROBIN YOUNG: Leading through learning means knowing your business, knowing your people, and knowing how to make the connection between where the business wants to go and where the people want to be. And if you can do that, then I think you’re going to create a team culture that is well set up for success and is motivated to change.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

HANNAH: As you now know, the learning never stops. I invite you to read my book, Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth through Learning. Here you’ll go beyond the podcast and learn more about why learning and development, in the traditional sense, is not enough.

When employee growth and learning are isolated to a department whose formal training programs often have limited impact helping employees, teams, and organizations adapt and grow, we need to shift our focus. We need to embed growth through learning into the DNA of our teams. Only then will our partially constructed bridges become expressways for new skills, development, and innovation.

[PAUSE]

To learn more about developing a culture of learning, or to partner with me to grow exceptional employees for today, as well as employees prepared to lead for the future, head to my website, hannahbrown.co.

[PAUSE]

Thanks to Mary Chan and Katie Pagacz of Organized Sound Productions, who produced, sound designed, and edited this podcast.

And special thanks to all the voices who shared their stories on this podcast: Adam Stephens, Andrew Ambrose, Andy Rombouts, Chantal McIntyre, Christine Helgerman, Christy Billan, Julianna Morris, Len Switzer, and Robin Young.

I’m Hannah Brown. And as always, remember, organizations that grow, grow their people.

[MUSIC OUT]

Episodes

Listen