The Power of the Learning Network (Part 1)

20	Jun
	2013

Future of Learning

In my last post, I looked into the importance of being richly curious and reaching out to the people and sources of knowledge to help you overcome the roadblocks keeping you from closing your skills gaps. Now it’s time to develop your “learning network,” the third step in the continuous learning circle.

Developing your network is about testing what you’ve uncovered with real people, many of whom know you well enough to challenge flawed assumptions and reinforce your progress. At this stage, your group will number in the dozens and prepare you for identifying the closest supporters that will eventually become your “lifeline partners.”
Your network becomes a 360-degree feedback experience where you gather data about your gaps, strengths, and how to achieve your learning goals along with the behaviors that will get you there. It also provides support in the form of feedback and accountability. But how do you start a learning network? Whom do you call? You start with an action plan.
First Task Doing Anything, Organize Relationships
Well, that headline is a clunker! That’s because it’s a mnemonic device to help you remember our framework for your learning network action plan. Our research and experience with major corporate clients has reinforced the adaptability of this framework in guiding you through unexpected events – allowing you to self-correct back to your big goals and stay true to the kinds of trusting relationships you want.
The acronym for your learning network action plan is F-T-D-A-O-R:

Focus on your goals;
Target the people specifically and generally you need to recruit;
Define how you can make those individuals successful;
Align your efforts and actions to make those individuals successful;
Plan your outreach to them;
Constantly renew your outreach and network.

Now we’ll see how this framework helped an executive friend of mine.
Emilio’s Fast Focus on a Learning Network
Emilio, a graduate of the University of Phoenix, landed a job as vice president for multicultural marketing at a large financial services company. Ten years before, he was put in charge of an initiative to sell products to, and recruit agents from, a wide swath of immigrants. On paper, Emilio seemed well-suited for the new job because he held a similar position in a smaller company. But at the prior job, diversity branding was only a sliver of his responsibilities and the organization was less labyrinthine.
To succeed, Emilio had to set up a learning plan for himself and address his gaps. His strengths were obvious: He was a marketing expert and had headed a Spanish bilingual marketing team. However, he had two critical learning issues to overcome:

Hard skills gap. Emilio had to expand his knowledge of the cultures and markets the company wanted to penetrate. Emilio is Mexican-American but knew little about other groups – Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, Eastern Europeans, Asian and Africans – predominant where his company does business.
Soft skills gap. In Emilio’s previous work experiences, he pitched ideas to a small audience of executives. Once he acquired C-suite buy-in, the organization would fall into line. In his new company, each branch office was entrepreneurial, headed by an agent who could do what she wanted in terms of marketing and selling locally. The managers also considered themselves autonomous. Emilio needed to develop the “soft” skills that would enable him to sell his ideas to a wide audience in offices throughout the country.

Instead of panicking, Emilio used strategies he learned from my book Never Eat Alone to acquire the relationships and develop the network to address his gaps. Emilio had established his goal.

Doing His Homework
To create a list of potential members of his learning network, Emilio asked colleagues for the names of influential people in the company whose expertise aligned with working with diverse markets and managing geographically dispersed relationships. The list included executives, business partners and agents – a group with different ethnic backgrounds. He also sought out colleagues from past jobs, people he met in online forums and found via social networking with backgrounds in multiculturalism.
He spoke with many of these people, read white papers they wrote, listened to their speeches and looked for articles written about them. Emilio attempted to contact all those whose ideas resonated with him. This was his target list.
To make the initial connection, Emilio readied for each conversation by researching the contacts – getting to know their interests and passions. This knowledge informed his discussions, helping him break the ice by bringing up what they cared most about. And it was invaluable in giving Emilio clues about what he could offer in return for their help. Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin – you get as much from one as the other. Emilio had defined how he could help make his learning network partners successful.
Follow Up or Fail
After each meeting, Emilio followed up with an emailed or texted “thank you.” If the conversation resulted in a promised future meeting or an offer by Emilio to introduce his new contact to another person, he recorded these steps in his datebook – and he fulfilled the promises made as quickly as possible.
In the end, Emilio’s learning network was comprised of executives at his company, insurance agents and local civil rights activists, among other key allies and friends. From these people, Emilio received an influx of great information for free.
Emilio’s self-directed learning strategy had a profound effect on his career. He got to know most of the people in the insurance agencies his company had relationships with. When he visited each region, he, well, “never had to eat alone.” There was always a group that invited him to dinner. His datebook filled up with birthday and anniversary reminders, which he used to keep the relationships strong. He had an ongoing practice for outreach and network renewal that is purring efficiently today.
As importantly, Emilio no longer had to “sell” agents on multicultural marketing. His passion for it became their passion. Within two years, Emilio’s was rewarded with a 25% raise and he was on the fast track to becoming a VP. Emilio had developed his strength into an area of expertise and accomplishment aligned with the professional needs of colleagues and people in his learning network.
Emilio’s story shows you how to traverse the steps of developing a learning network. It also reveals how the process can foster the connective personal behaviors that are associated with what success requires in a global workforce. It’s not enough to just have a safety net of skills and work contacts anymore! When you develop the habits of treating others in your learning network with generosity, trust and authenticity, you will have the best influence and access that exists. Next up: We’ll examine how you can reinforce your progress with three key behaviors as you go about your learning network process.