From the classroom to the boardroom: how redeeming “learning” can change our professional experience

We struggle with the idea that learning doesn’t end with school.

Some might throw out a phrase like “you never stop learning,” but in their daily life, if they find out they don’t know something, or don’t know enough, they become frustrated.

It makes sense: we need to be able to do our job well; not knowing is an obstacle; therefore, learning something new becomes a necessary but bitter medicine.

We have a similar relationship with the idea of work.

That paradigm is slowly shifting, but previous generations have handed down the idea that work is a yoke we have no choice but to bear.

In the last fifty years the conversation has changed, and we’ve learned a few new things:

• work occupies a significant part of our waking hours, and we cannot treat it as something we “have to do”;

• work can be a source of growth, friendships, satisfaction;

• the market offers us more opportunities than we thought to try new professions and careers.

• Work can become something bearable, and even beneficial.

Both learning and work feel like a chore.

If so, what can make them feel bearable, or beneficial? In most cases, the feeling of progress. A higher salary, a more prestigious title. For some people, it’s the opportunity to become a manager.

Management as a litmus test

I believe there are few experiences that act as a litmus test like management.

Many people aspire to a managerial position because it signifies status and power. Many others see it as a new challenge and an opportunity for growth.

When the management position arrives, the latter will have the flexibility and determination to learn from new challenges and succeed in their role. If it’s just about status and power, they won’t have much chance of success. The toxic dynamics will hinder performance, and the management experience will be disappointing.

At this point we understand that:

• We are slowly restructuring the idea of work;

• Managing can be a beneficial experience,yet it can also be a source of disillusionment;

• We still have unresolved business with the idea of learning, but we understand that it plays a key role in making the shift from necessary work to constructive work.

Learning is the linchpin

Living our professional daily life as a source of development is the best strategy for having a healthy, and in many cases, successful career.

I know the word “learning” evokes memories of stern teachers and meticulous exams.

So let’s broaden the definition: we learn when our way of understanding, thinking, and working changes, hopefully for the better. 

Not necessarily when we attend a course or do some tedious online training: solving a professional challenge leads to new insights – that is pure learning. Active reflection on what works and what doesn’t in our work practice, especially with a colleague or friend, is an excellent vehicle for reaching new conclusions. Again, learning.

From this perspective, learning is a necessary skill for every professional with a minimum of ambition. You cannot move forward without it, or only by attending a course or a seminar once a year. We need to turn it into a muscle: a lens through which we experience our professional relationship and through which we crack our challenges.

We succeed in our job because we know how to learn, and learning can make our work practice a source of satisfaction.

The key to evolve our career from a necessary malaise to a beneficial experience is to embrace a lifelong learning approach towards it.