Learning is doing. Period.

More workshops…

Increased digital tools…

Another webinar…

Is this what your employees really need to advance your company?

If you’re honest with your learning and development team, you’ll probably admit that there’s a knowing-doing gap.

And that’s true for many companies.

You see, there’s not much of an advantage to simply “knowing” facts and theories and how to use a tool.

When your organization as a group can take knowledge and use it to inform their “doing,” that’s what will separate your company apart from the competition.

The bottom line is, your company must take the knowledge employees acquire and see it come to life, informing the actions they take every day.

Without this translation into more informed “doing,” you won’t see the increased productivity or revenue that your organization desperately needs to not just stay afloat, but get ahead in a competitive market.

Genuine learning that informs actions is what will transform a business, make highly productive workers, drive innovation and increase annual revenue.

Learning is not static.

Sure, it happens on a single day, during a single hour when a training webinar takes place. But it doesn’t stop once the webinar ends.

Learning is continuous and ongoing.

It is not an “event” or even a series of events.

Sure, learning happens in the classroom, but it also occurs when a worker :

• Meets with a mentor.
• Attends a networking event.
• Reads a blog or article.
• Watches a video.
• Solves a problem collaboratively.

And the list goes on.

However, perhaps the most important step organizations can take to enhance learning and drive “doing” involves time.

Often, workers do not have enough time to internalize training.

Think about it: They take time away from their jobs to attend a training, while the work piles up. Upon their return, they’re overwhelmed with answering emails, returning phone calls and catching up on tasks.

There’s little to no time to reflect on the training.

As a learning and development professional, you can improve the training ROI simply by having employees reflect on their experience, and answer questions like, “What did you learn about yourself?” “What ideas will you incorporate into your routine?” “How can you translate these new skills into different workplace contexts?”

Understanding that learning requires time to reflect to drive action has the potential to transform your entire learning and development program, and hence, your organization.

Here’s what you don’t need: Employees that can memorize information. That’s not true learning.

Here’s what you DO need: to invest in people who will build things, make innovative products, code revolutionary software and solve problems.

And to get there, you need to invest in the kind of training that takes learning and moves people into doing.

Knowledge is gold. But putting that knowledge into action leads to real growth — both individually and as a company.

What does your corporation need to change in order to promote a learning and development culture that leads to tangible growth?