‘If you want to grow, don’t stop learning’

EARLIER this week, I had one of those seminal moments in life while attending my first meeting as a newly-minted member of the Penang government’s Human Capital Committee.

The committee is chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister 2 Dr. P. Ramasamy. He advises the state on all matters pertaining to the development of human capital.

Collectively, this body evaluates various proposals for growth-based schemes, deploys state funds for projects and fosters public-private partnerships for learning activities.

As we discussed and deliberated on various matters in this meeting, I observed that the biggest challenge facing Malaysia, from a human capital perspective, is in preparing our workforce for the onslaught of technology and providing retraining opportunities, especially as our life expectancy increases.

I was very encouraged by the commitment of both public officials and private sector representatives in cultivating continuous learning in the workforce of Penang, which was the secondlargest growth zone in Malaysia.

One of the key traits successful people have is their commitment to life-long learning.

Cultivating the habit of developing your mind through constant learning will guarantee that you get results. When you dedicate yourself to continuous learning, you will progress in all areas of life.

Even when choosing an employer, people who are successful will investigate how much learning opportunities a company may offer. They will check if the potential employers have a track record of training its staff, and their decisions to join those organisations will be based on this.

The most effective people I know also read a lot. They attend conferences and conventions and they go to numerous talks and forums. They are interested in anything and everything that can help them become more effective and get results.

Learning has deep intrinsic advantages. It helps with your selfesteem. As you learn, you gain competence. And, as you become competent at what you do, your confidence increases. I ask all the people I coach in my executive leadership coaching sessions to remember this.

Your confidence will boost your self-efficacy, and you become more adaptable to change when it happens. Learning will challenge your entrenched beliefs. This allows you to be receptive to new ideas.

On the whole, learning helps you achieve a more satisfying personal life.

I have understood that there are two primary motivators for continuous learning. The first is learning for personal satisfaction, and the second is learning for professional development.

The start point is to cultivate life-long learning for personal satisfaction. It is a core habit that everyone needs to nurture.

In fact, it is a prerequisite for long-lasting mental health.

Groundbreaking research published by the National Institutes of Health in the United States indicates that those who continue learning new things throughout life, while challenging their brains, are also less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

There are other advantages for why people learn for personal growth.

I have a friend who took up deep sea diving at the age of 45. This precipitated his early retirement, and he now spends a great deal of time diving in some of the most beautiful and exotic locations in Asia, and around the world. Life truly began for him after 50!

The second reason for continuous learning is for your professional or career development.

Having good qualifications alone will not ensure that you get a rewarding job. In the modern context, the people who hire you are very interested in whether you have “transferable skills”.

These are skills or abilities that are relevant and helpful across various disciplines. For this, you need to demonstrate that you are keen to learn and develop multiple skill sets.

Lifelong learning also makes sense from a financial standpoint. The more skills and knowledge you amass, the more you become an asset to your company. This will accelerate the chances of you getting promoted, and earning more.

And this is not something that applies only for young executives.

For instance, having been a “conventional” educator and professor of education for his entire work-life until mandatory retirement, my father in his later years embraced technology as a teaching tool.

At the age of 69, he became the dean of the education faculty at a local online university.

This is an amazing feat as in the family he was known as being at the “technology inept department”.

Approaching age of seventy five, I was curious why he continued to work. His response was that he was vested in life-long learning, evolving and growing.

So, if you want to grow, don’t stop learning.

I was very encouraged by the commitment of both public officials and the private sector representatives for cultivating continuous learning in the workforce of Penang, which was the second largest growth zone in Malaysia.