The Self-Development Self-Deception

One of our legacies of the COVID-19 Pandemic was the accelerated pace of self-learning.

It’s no surprise. There were few available learning options since in-class learning had all but come to a halt, bowing to the new order of social distancing.

I, like many others, with an almost religious aversion to settling down into the day-to-day sameness the lockdown presented, completed online course after online course. I was determined that I would come out of the lockdown, however long it took, better than I went in, especially since I had the time to learn.

And it worked…for a while.

The lockdown had to end, it didn’t make economic sense for it to continue indefinitely, but thankfully, learning didn’t.

However, the question now is, how much of what I learned back then do I remember now? My answer would be some, not all.

The nature of the brain is to utilize different levels of memory storage. The things which are at lower levels of attention and priority get forgotten. The human brain keeps discarding them and only stores the things which we need. Repetition when engaging in learning is what helps to retain this information in long-term memory stores. (human-memory.net)

So, what then happened to all the knowledge I had eaten up? Waiting in my mind to be used at an opportune time?

Again, my answer would be some, not all. Because it wasn't all of it I could put into practice.

Can I then honestly say that I had truly learned all those things? At best, I have some knowledge of them. At worst, I’ll have to say no.

It kind of makes you look at all that training and all those certificates listed in your resume a little differently, doesn’t it?

We Human Resources Professionals, look at the combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities to assess an individual’s competencies for a current or future role. One of the hallmarks of a desirable candidate or talent is continuous learning. We believe that it is evidence that the individual in question puts a premium on self-development.

How then do we determine if self-development has taken place?

For me, the simple answer is CHANGE.

What behaviour do I exhibit now that has made my person or my work better?

What habits have I discarded because they weren’t helping either my person or my work?

Am I able to confidently teach others these things?

Those are the things that I learned.

That is why, at the interview stage, we typically ask behavioral questions to determine how much of an impact your training and experiences have made on your work. These are usually led by phrases like “give us an example of when…” or “tell us about a time when you…”

For example:

“Give us an example of a goal you failed to meet, and how you handled the situation”.

“Tell us about a time when you solved a problem at your job that wasn't part of your job description”.

We could also ask situational questions. Here, we expect you to apply all that knowledge and learning in a real or hypothetical situation you are likely to face on the job. These a usually preceded by, “what would you do if…”

For example:

“What would you do if you made a mistake that no one else noticed?”

“What would you do if you were asked to perform a task you've never done before?”

Only the things you have actually learned would enable you to handle those questions with ease and confidence.

So, when next you are learning something new or revising existing knowledge, create a plan to reinforce and establish what you have learned.

Here are a few tips:

• Look for connections between what you are learning and what you already know.
• Write down at least one thing you want to start doing and one you want to stop doing.
• Start doing it.
• Have a friend, colleague, or mentor that can keep you accountable.
• Teach others what you have learned.

 For more career tips and lessons presented with fun and engaging storytelling, check out my blog at toyintalkstalent.wordpress.com.