Staying within your comfort zone is a good way to prepare for today but a terrible way to prepare for tomorrow. To sustain success, you must develop the capacity for rapid, continuous learning. Enlisting a coach can be an invaluable way to do it. But if you don’t have a coach, ask some colleagues for feedback on how you performed on a recent task. Don’t get defensive when you hear their answers — remind yourself that you’re trying to learn new things. Then make time for reflection. Get into the habit of asking yourself questions like “What have I learned from this experience?” and “What turned out differently than I expected?” Leaders who demonstrate and encourage reflection both learn more themselves and lay the foundation for higher levels of learning agility in their teams and organizations.
Adapted from "4 Ways to Become a Better Learner," by Monique Valcour
