The Upskilling Imperative summary

Think back to high school. You and your classmates sit down at your desks, and your teacher rolls out that warhorse of math class: the overhead projector. The lights dim, and for the next 60 minutes, you silently endure a series of equations meticulously written out with dry-erase markers. The content is interesting to some of your peers, but your sleepiness gets the best of you. 

Maybe you learned something in that class, but do you remember it now? Do you fondly look back on that learning experience and think it really made math come alive? 

We’re sentimental creatures, and change can be frightening. If you’re like most people, there are probably some things in your home that were once important but are now rarely, or never, used. Your VCR, for example, is becoming harder and harder to justify keeping – not because you don’t watch movies anymore, but because you watch them differently. 

We face a similar predicament with skills. In five or ten years, many of us will have jobs that don’t exist today. But in wanting to squeeze out every bit of usefulness from our existing competencies, we’re missing opportunities to change and adapt to the new developments happening right now. 

Have you ever received a piece of criticism, thought to yourself, Well, that was a bit harsh, and walked away with hurt feelings? Or have you ever sugarcoated someone’s request for honest feedback, keeping your real thoughts to yourself? All too often, people associate feedback with criticism – and criticism with unpleasant experiences. 

But you don’t have to choose between being too nice or upsetting someone; in the middle lies an opportunity for growth and improvement. Routine, constructive, two-way feedback holds the key to successful learning and professional growth.

When a big-budget blockbuster movie comes out, it isn’t a secret affair; it creates buzz. In the months and weeks leading up to its release in cinemas, you see trailers, billboards, and magazine ads. The lead actors embark on a grueling schedule of late-night talk shows, publicity events, and photo shoots. By the time the movie hits theaters, everybody already knows about it. It’s not a matter of if they’ll go see it, but when. 

Of course, that’s all well and good for the box office. But how can you generate similar excitement around your employees and their ongoing learning? Is it even possible to drum up the same buzz that Titanic got for your company’s latest professional development workshop?

Each year, on January 1, people around the world declare New Year’s resolutions. Hopeful that this year will be “the year,” some vow to lose weight or learn a new language – but most of these resolutions fizzle out before they even get going. 

By early February, excuses for quitting are everywhere as the former optimists announce that there’s just not enough time in the day to get it all done. By March, most resolutions are on the brink of extinction; it’s difficult to make time for something that isn’t a regular part of your day. 

You’ve seen how to implement a learning culture in an organization, but what do you do when not everyone is convinced of its value?

According to consulting firm McKinsey, 75 percent of executives think they’ll be able to fulfill more than half the skills required in the future through internal upskilling rather than new hires. But despite this data in support of reskilling, many companies have yet to make an effort to develop a learning culture. 

Imagine you’re just leaving a meeting with your colleagues at the Learning and Development department. The goal? To convince the CEO to grant sign-off on a robust, new learning culture that will change the way employees interact with learning and stay on top of the latest trends. 

You’re on your way to the CEO’s office with plans to lay out the benefits of the program, and you know this is your last chance; she was skeptical last time, and it’s unlikely she’ll budge this time around. How do you persuade her that your plan really is in the company’s best interests?