How to Make Time for Your Own Learning and Development as a Leader
When I was in college, I used to visit the library each month to read the Chronicle of Higher Education and Chronicle of Philanthropy. I found my dream career of university fundraising when I was a freshman, and I was excited to learn as much as I could about the profession. After I graduated and got my first job as a major gifts fundraiser, I continued to pursue all the learning I could: reading articles and books, attending conferences, and joining industry meet-ups. Then I became a first-time manager and I struggled with how to make time for my learning while supporting my team. I thought I was being the very best leader I could by prioritizing my team over everything else. I remember one day the vice president of development came into my office and commented on the growing pile of Chronicles on my desk. When he asked me how my reading was going, I responded that I hadn’t had enough time to get to them, because I was so focused on my work and team. He said to me, “Shanna, leaders have to make time for their own learning and development.” This stuck with me. Though it took me a while to get through that pile, I started to make it a priority again to commit to my own growth and learning.
Managers are pulled in many different directions every day. They’re often expected to be the coach and the player, which means they have expectations in leading their team’s outcomes and producing their own results. With the many real demands on their time, it can be hard for leaders to prioritize their learning and development. (Interestingly enough, these same leaders are often the first to prioritize their team’s professional development!)
Here are ways to make time for your own learning and growth daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly. As a bonus, most of these practices can be done in less than 10 minutes:
DAILY – Journal
Before you close your computer at the end of the workday, write down one to three sentences about your day. You can write down whatever inspires you, or answer specific prompts, such as:
What was your Win of the Day (WOTD)?
What did you learn today?
What would you like to do differently or better tomorrow?
If writing them down feels like too much of a challenge, you can also talk into your phone to record your thoughts in the notes app.
Learning comes from the reflection process. By keeping track of your wins and learning daily, you’ll have something to look back on at the end of the week or month.
WEEKLY – Learning Meeting
First, schedule a recurring appointment for 10 minutes on your calendar each week for learning. Plan for this time block as seriously as you would any meeting your boss asked you to attend. Then, create an email folder (you may choose to call it Learning) to organize your learning and development. Throughout the week, send yourself any articles of interest you come across on LinkedIn, in an industry publication, or via a favorite leadership newsletter (may I suggest One Bold Move a Day!); you can also send links to a TED talk or podcast. During your learning meeting with yourself, go back through the folder to choose which one you’d like to read or listen to that week.
MONTHLY – Spend Time with Other Learners
Surround yourself with people who support you and stretch you. To help keep you accountable to your goal, spend time with other people committed to their learning. Invite a colleague to read the same article or book as you and combine a monthly lunch or coffee catch up with a learning session. Bring together a group of other managers in your organization and take turns leading discussions on learning topics suited to their expertise. Also remember the value of learning with and from people who have different backgrounds and perspectives than you.
QUARTERLY – Reflect on Your Learning
Research shows that leaders who dedicate time to reflect on their “best leader self” helps them become better leaders overall, including increased confidence and clout. Allocate 15 minutes quarterly to review your progress over the last three months. What can you celebrate? What trends do you notice? This reflection can also be helpful for preparing for your performance reviews, but learning is most meaningful when it’s determined by you and goes beyond someone else’s expectations of you.
The most important part of creating a learning goal like this for yourself is to continue pursuing your learning, even when you get off track. It’s the consistency of the learning practice, rather than the duration or frequency. Start somewhere and build up over time.
Even the very best leaders pursue continual learning. They recognize that people who make a commitment to learn on their own will thrive in their roles and careers—and inspire their teams to do the same.
This article is part of a special 4-part series on advancing learning for you and your team. You may also be interested to read: