We all have our own “to-do” list routines. Some employees take the old fashioned sticky-note route, filled with bullets, doodles and other in-the-margin notes. They always start off clean and easy to follow, don’t they?

Other employees use productivity apps and software like Google Tasks or Asana. Whatever tools you use, most of the time, things on our “to-do” list on Monday remain there on Friday, due to the inevitable surprise tasks that pop up mid week. We could debate how effective “to-do” lists actually are, but they certainly are very common in every organization’s routine.

Employees are constantly working on their to-do lists, but how many employees are working on learning & development goals?

Before we get any further, let’s define a “to-learn” list so we’re on the same page. Instead of jotting down a long list of tasks you need to do, this is an evolving list of the things you want to learn. To-learn lists focus on your interests, maybe your weaknesses, and they always have actionable items associated with each item. They should tie back to your underlying “why” - your passion or purpose in life. 

Here is a sample template for creating learning & development goals for your employees:

Learning & development goals should include a mix of personal and professional.

Encourage your employees, when thinking about their goals, to include the following:

Develop or enhance your curiosity - if you aren’t curious, then you’re not growing. To-learn lists are a great reminder to always be curious and to take more action.

Explore and get out of your comfort zone - in this new COVID world, we are all home more than ever. Use this time to schedule your learning time. Put it on your calendar and take advantage of the quiet time to build new learning habits.

Be accountable - learning is synonymous with growing. It’s part of your self-care routine. If you hold yourself accountable to your to-learn list, you will feel more accomplished. You’ll also likely spur more and more learning passions as you dive deeper into particular topics.

At the company level, the HR, L&D, or People Ops team may be pretty small. There’s only so much teaching the People Teams can carry out as a team. However, if People teams can inspire employees to first, build a “to-learn” list and then second, to support employees in accomplishing their learning goals, you can quickly enhance your learning culture and level up your workforce.

Remember, with a to-do list, the best feeling is crossing things off.

With a to-learn list, the best thing is adding to it!

We all have our own “to-do” list routines. Some employees take the old fashioned sticky-note route, filled with bullets, doodles and other in-the-margin notes. They always start off clean and easy to follow, don’t they?

Other employees use productivity apps and software like Google Tasks or Asana. Whatever tools you use, most of the time, things on our “to-do” list on Monday remain there on Friday, due to the inevitable surprise tasks that pop up mid week. We could debate how effective “to-do” lists actually are, but they certainly are very common in every organization’s routine.

Employees are constantly working on their to-do lists, but how many employees are working on learning & development goals?

Before we get any further, let’s define a “to-learn” list so we’re on the same page. Instead of jotting down a long list of tasks you need to do, this is an evolving list of the things you want to learn. To-learn lists focus on your interests, maybe your weaknesses, and they always have actionable items associated with each item. They should tie back to your underlying “why” - your passion or purpose in life. 

Here is a sample template for creating learning & development goals for your employees:

 


Learning & development goals should include a mix of personal and professional.

Encourage your employees, when thinking about their goals, to include the following:
Develop or enhance your curiosity - if you aren’t curious, then you’re not growing. To-learn lists are a great reminder to always be curious and to take more action.
Explore and get out of your comfort zone - in this new COVID world, we are all home more than ever. Use this time to schedule your learning time. Put it on your calendar and take advantage of the quiet time to build new learning habits.
Be accountable - learning is synonymous with growing. It’s part of your self-care routine. If you hold yourself accountable to your to-learn list, you will feel more accomplished. You’ll also likely spur more and more learning passions as you dive deeper into particular topics.
At the company level, the HR, L&D, or People Ops team may be pretty small. There’s only so much teaching the People Teams can carry out as a team. However, if People teams can inspire employees to first, build a “to-learn” list and then second, to support employees in accomplishing their learning goals, you can quickly enhance your learning culture and level up your workforce.

Remember, with a to-do list, the best feeling is crossing things off.

With a to-learn list, the best thing is adding to it!

CALL TO ACTION

This is for managers and leaders who want to help employees create learning & development goals 

How To Create Learning & Development Goals For Employees

Wed Dec 30 2020

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