What Is Your R.O.L.?
You are probably familiar with the term ROI or Return on Investment. It’s a standard business analysis tool that helps us measure how well our investments are performing. And it usually refers to tracking how well we are doing with our financial investments.
However, the reality is that where our money goes is not the best indicator of what our future holds.
There are other areas of investment that are far more telling on that front.
What is in common, though, across everything is that before we can have a return, we must first invest.
You may be saying, Of course! I knew that. But, often, we aren’t getting the results we want (the highest return possible) because we are NOT investing strategically in or of ourselves. We may be experiencing something, but that is not the same as investing in it.
One of those areas is learning. Think about your ROL or Return on LEARNING. Are you a strategic learner? You can be curious, even a committed lifelong learner, but again, while that is admirable (and important!), if we want a measurable return, we need a clear intention AND investment.
It is in our learning strategy that we set our path for growth more than any other place. So here are five guidelines to consider as you craft a learning plan:
Understand the difference between knowledge and skill and develop both. Gaining knowledge on a subject to deepen expertise gets a different priority than learning how to do something. Make sure that you know what success looks like once you have gained knowledge or developed a skill.
Devote a minimum of 30 minutes daily to expanding your knowledge in your area of expertise and influence. As experts, remember that our role is also to act as curator or distiller of a vast bank of growing knowledge and create continued value. Make sure that you are including both established experts/mentors and emerging voices in your area of expertise in your study.
Include personal skill-building and development in your learning plan. Make a place for learning in all the threads of your life and work. For example, what interests you as a person? Italian cooking? A particular art medium? If you care about something, study it and practice it.
Learn alone and in groups. Interacting about what we are learning can be invaluable in seeing innovative ways to apply the newly acquired knowledge. If taking a class with others doesn’t appeal to you, consider joining a mastermind where you will gain new insights and learn from other business leaders in the group.
Have a learning vision board or log. Getting areas of interest on a learning vision board or log gives you a place to refer to when creating your plan. Then you can prioritize the time you allocate to learning based on what you want to know vs. whatever comes across your path.
Being strategic about our personal and professional growth can and should be fun as well as rewarding!
REMINDER: Achieving a RETURN begins with making an INVESTMENT. And STRATEGY means beginning with the end in mind.
What do you want to know? What do you want to master? What will help you create your best self and the life you want to live?
Let’s get started investing where we know we can consistently achieve our highest returns: In ourselves!
