While everyone has the potential to become an intentional learner, it is an acquired skill that needs to be developed and practiced. A key driver in building employees who are intentional learners is gaining support from leaders of the organization. So why is it that most company learning programs fail?

In a recent episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Elizabeth Young McNally, global leader of the McKinsey Academy, and Matthew Smith, chief learning officer at McKinsey & Company, discuss the fundamental and underappreciated skill of learning, how to nurture learning in others, and how companies can create a learning culture.

How can organizations build a culture of intentional learning?

The most important hallmark to promote intentional learning at the organizational level is a long-term growth orientation that naturally favors learning. Companies must foster a team environment that is structured to enable learning.

“Elements that I’ve seen in organizations that are successful in promoting learning start with storytelling and role modeling by senior leaders,” said McNally. “How is leadership demonstrating in their actions that they’re promoting learning? Are they investing in learning or reskilling programs, or are they explicit in their expectations of time spent on learning?” Companies must have a formal mechanism to ensure that the learning and continuous improvement take place.

“Like so many things, it starts at the top, specifically with having a CEO or a senior leader who values learning and talks about it actively,” said Smith. “If people don’t see it as something that’s valued in the organization, they’re less likely to do it.”

What are some critical skills for the future?

One of the challenges with reskilling is that it is not always clear what skills you will need, especially as disruption comes more rapidly. “We’ve done a lot of work within McKinsey to look at the skills of the future and say, ‘What are the types of skills that, given all the disruption across industries and the technological change, are going to be more and less in demand in the future?’” said Smith. “While it varies by sector, there are common trends.”

Unsurprisingly, the most common trend that individuals are looking to work on is their technology skills, which are always in high demand as technology is constantly growing over time. The second largest trend is human skills: emotional intelligence, the ability to collaborate, and the ability to communicate. “Think about all the things that machines can’t do well,” said Smith. “These types of skills are also going to be in high demand over the years to come.” Skills that are going to be in less demand are in areas where machines can do well, including routine manual and cognitive tasks.

Hiring for adaptability

It is crucial that companies aiming to foster intentional learning hire and train their employees for adaptability. Look for people who demonstrate an ability to discover new things, learning agility, openness, and capability to flex in different directions.

“Research shows that everyone can become more adaptable; it’s both individual attributes and the team environment that helps you get there,” said McNally. “But if you have the choice, hire people who have that growth mindset and a willingness to embrace new perspectives and skills.”

The need for resilience

During the coronavirus pandemic, it became even more evident that an important skill that leaders must acquire is building resilience in their employees. People are getting stress-tested in ways that they have never dealt with before.

“There are people who are learning and growing in different ways through this period and building their resilience muscle,” said Smith. “But more need to be done to support these employees. Building skills of resilience is something that companies can invest in.”

Visit AFP's Career Hub for more resources on searching for a job, career skill building and management resources, and read about the five core skills for intentional learning and the career advantage.