Why is learning so hard? In the new economy where innovation, skill development, and learning are the only way to circumvent personal obsolescence, being an agile learner is crucial.

• Author: Erwin, Dan
• Position: Management & Careers

We are occasionally introduced to people who barely register on our radar screens. Tom, a low-level manager, was just such a person 20 years ago: medium build, medium height, ordinary dresser, and nothing to catch the eye or make one think that this person would be intelligent or on the fast track to success. Initially perceived as an alert, friendly manager, people thought of him as unexceptional. His boss, however, thought he had potential and invested in getting him some training.

Tom was 30 years old and a mediocre manager, but at 50, he is now a leader who is respected and admired. Instead of slowing down as he got older, Tom took the basic work competency he gained from coaching and continued to learn at a rate normally associated with children and young adults.

Research shows that fewer than 10 percent of professionals are agile enough learners to quickly process an experience and apply these lessons to new situations. Tom, however, moves quickly to process experiences and apply them to his work situation. In the new economy where innovation, skill development, and learning are the only way to circumvent personal obsolescence, why is the number of agile learners so small?

In other words, why is it so hard to learn? Max Bazerman of Harvard suggests three basic obstacles to learning. (1) This brief summary adds seven additional insights gleaned from face-to-face experience with hundreds of clients.

THE NEED FOR BALANCE

For those who have achieved some level of professional success, the idea that their skills could be lacking might not compute. As Bazerman reminds us, balance theory emphasizes that we want consistency when we organize our thoughts and think about our expertise. If your boss of five years has told you that you are a top worker, and then a new manager comes in and lets you know in so many words that she is not impressed by your expertise, that will not be easy to accept. To maintain our cognitive balance--our need to believe we are consistent--we tend to avoid hard or painful truths.

If It Ain't Broke, Why Fix It? Generally, most people reach a level of competency between four and six years into their vocations, after which they slow down and eventually stop learning. This is, in part, because we have been praised in the past for our work prowess. According to reinforcement theory, we tend to continue the same work ways that brought positive rewards in the past--recognition, raises, and promotions. As a result, most...