One fine day I asked a friend of mine an extremely simple question, “Which part of your life was the learning phase?” I was not surprised by the answer. “In school, of course”, he replied, with nonchalance. My friend was like many others who experienced considerable growth during their days at school. However, once their formal education came to an end, so did their curiosity to learn, ability of questioning, the intrigue that often leads to growth and development.

1. SAGAR INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH &
TECHNOLOGY
Learning - A way of life

2. LEARNING - A WAY OF LIFE
One fine day I asked a friend of mine an extremely
simple question, “Which part of your life was the
learning phase?” I was not surprised by the answer.
“In school, of course”, he replied, with nonchalance.
My friend was like many others who experienced
considerable growth during their days at school.
However, once their formal education came to an
end, so did their curiosity to learn, ability of
questioning, the intrigue that often leads to growth
and development.

3. Many of us see learning as a phase, rather than a
way of life. It is almost impossible to get people to
spend time on formal training sessions by choice.
People get forcibly nominated for training
programmes by their bosses. There is a world of
difference between growing with age and simply
growing. Wisdom can come with age, but often, age
comes alone leaving wisdom behind. Age to the
stagnant is an icy winter, but to a leader, it is
harvest time, indicating that the leader spends time
and effort in gaining knowledge while others just let
time fly.

4. Have you ever passed through the same route over
and over again, either on your way to work, or on
your evening walks? Don’t we become immune to
the landscape around us, failing to notice small
changes around us, despite us treading the same
path every day? This happens to us at work too.
When we show up for work day in and day out, and
put in the time, without learning from the
experiences, we are just going through the motions.

5. People assume that experience is what they gather
as they go through the years. What they don’t
realize is that experience isn’t what happens to us,
but the learning from what happens to us
constitutes experience. But how do we identify if we
have fallen into the rut of overconfidence, routine,
and dismissive arrogance, and ended up becoming
a “know-it-all” boor who loses his edge with time?

6. Do we often fall back on “I always do this work in that
way”?
 We don’t challenge assumptions.
 Are we losing our curiosity like a child?
 Does change irritate us?
 Is our sense of wonder and discovery replaced with
cynicism and apathy?
 Do we rely on our own experience rather than
borrow or learn from other people’s experience?
 Do we avoid doing things that we haven’t done
before?

7. To a leader, getting comfortable with what one is
doing is an indication of learning having leveled out.
Stability and certainty often numb learning skills.
While personal growth, continuous improvement,
experiential learning and skill development are
mantras for today, many a time, intentions don’t
translate into action. It is important for us to make
note of the above points and recognize when we
have slipped into waters of stagnation.

8. Pablo Picasso, one of the most prolific painters in
history had once observed, “Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once he
grows up”. We must realize that learning is not a
phase but a way of life which has to be maintained
throughout.

9. THANK YOU