A friend shared that she and her team have dubbed the season their “Summer of Learning.”
She works in an industry that is typically slower in the summer months. Rather than simply using their extra time to catch up and get ready for the fall season, they are taking advantage of this opportunity to understand the latest industry trends, learn new technology, develop new skills, and—most importantly—share their discoveries with their colleagues and deepen their culture of learning.
Invitation to Join the Summer of Learning
As we kick off the official start of summer in the northern hemisphere, my friend inspired me to embark on my own Summer of Learning, and I want to invite you to join me!
If you are like me, you may have at least a few new trends you’ve meant to explore more deeply, skills you’d like to build or refresh, books you want to read, and likely relationships that need some time and attention, all of these can be part of your Summer of Learning!
In this spirit of furthering my journey of learning:
- I’ve begun a deeper dive into AI resources and trends, especially as they relate to leadership agility and talent development.
- I’ve also blocked out time each week to reconnect with friendships that went into hibernation over the winter.
- And, I am planning to brush up on my Spanish with 10-20 minutes of Duolingo daily.
My Summer of Learning also includes exploring ways to improve the value and engagement of this newsletter for you and your team by sharing more fresh ideas for you to share with your team as you tackle increasingly complex issues and prepare for an increasingly dynamic future.
Commitment
In this endeavor, I am learning the same lesson the Embodied Agile Leaders I wrote about in Staying in the Game taught me: good intentions don’t always translate into action. It takes Commitment.
If you want this summer to be different from all of your past summers, which went by too fast, I hope you’ll join me. I could use some learning buddies!
Get Started with the Summer of Learning Framework
It’s simple to get started. Just download and review the four-stage Summer of Learning Framework Worksheet inspired by my 20+ years teaching in the innovative competency-based program at DePaul University.
To maximize your impact and chances of success, I encourage you to share it with your team members, colleagues, and friends. It will be a great springboard for future conversations and help you stay accountable.
If you haven’t already, please sign up for my Summer of Learning email series HERE to receive regular prompts and ideas to spur your learning and imagination throughout the summer;