The speed of change in the workforce is always evolving and now more than ever the acceleration of change is at a pace that we have never seen before. With new customer demands, technologies, and regulations constantly appearing, we need to learn to adapt to those changes and adapting means learning new skills even when we are busy.

Many organizations still have the same top-down, controlled approach to learning new skills. In these organizations, it is defined what new skills should be learned. With this approach, people are often feeling forced to learn new skills. You cannot force people to transform. Forcing them  to transform can lead to resistance to change or people not getting the full potential benefits out of a course.

This is how you can motivate these busy people to learn and grow instead.

The 7 steps that are outlined in today’s episode are inspired by the designed thinking principles.

  1. Show Empathy

By describing the situation of a person that wants to learn and grow you can determine how you can make the situation better and this will motivate the person to their own success.

  2. Describe the Transformation That You Both Want

Painting a nice picture of the transformation that the person would want for themselves but also the transformation that you would like to see from that person can motivate the individual to learn. For me, I like to paint a picture of leaders that have gone through this transformation and have attained a great work-life balance. You can also use stories of transformation from people’s own experience with the learning tool.

  3. Shatter Their Current Limiting Beliefs

Change does not come easy. You will run into a lot of objections. For example, some may truly want to transform but make excuses like they have no time for the program, they are too busy, or believing that the program is not for them. I counter these beliefs with stories. The biggest mistake that busy leaders make is that they have no time to transform.

  4. Create a Safe Environment

When you are learning a new skill, you will not often be immediately good at it. You will make mistakes and creating a safe environment is crucial in the success of this step. Creating an environment where people can make mistakes without punishment and share in confidence their doubts and challenges will motivate change.

  5. Use a Blended Approach

People are busy. Who has time to spend in courses that take a day or even a week to complete? Most courses are laid out to have live courses and workshops. These types of courses take time and present the material in a concentrated matter. I think the blended approach is the best to motivating the everyday busy person. There is a place for workshops and or live events but there are also online courses that give the information in smaller bits of content. By doing this, you allow this busy person to choose how and when s.he learns.  

  6. Transform Collectively

It’s easy to admit that transforming with a team or organization can gain a momentum of collective energy. A collective goal will help the individual transform and help them stay accountable in their journey.

  7. Believe in People

Believing that people can change is monumental. If you believe that a person can change, they will have the energy and motivation to go out of their comfort zone to try to learn new skills that may feel uncomfortable or out of reach. When you believe in people more than they believe in themselves it will really help them transform into their best self.