Want to Change Something? Start here…
Change has been a consistent theme for all of us during the past two years. As we creep up on the second anniversary of the first pandemic lockdown in Nova Scotia this week, I look back and am astounded by all the changes we have had to adapt to. And then I look forward and see the need for even more, even faster change. If we want create the change we need to tackle the climate crisis, the economy, global political crises and the chaos in our own lives and businesses, the fact is we need to get better at change.
Good news. I have some secret sauce for you. It’s called Action Learning, and I swear by it.
What is Action Learning, you ask?
Well, it’s nothing new. In fact, I believe that it is the foundation that much of the current theory and approach to creating, managing and adapting to change is built upon.
In other words, it’s so old school that it is revolutionary.
Action Learning was originally developed in the UK by Reg Reavans, an innovator and specialist in management, in the mid-20th century. He developed Action Learning based on a diverse range of experiences in his own career – from working with a team of Nobel Laureates at Cambridge University under Ernest Rutherford, to leading teams of nurses in hospitals and volunteers during the Blitz in London, and then reforming the Belgian economy. From all of this diverse experience he discovered that in order to adapt to the ever increasing speed of change, we need to learn how to leverage the wisdom inside our teams, communities and ourselves instead of looking for experts outside.
When we look inside for wisdom and we are no longer reliant on expert knowledge from outside, we can focus on what we don’t know – allowing us to access our curiousity, detach from the outcome and learn as we go.
I have been obsessed with Action Learning for almost 25 years now. Like Reg Reavans and many others before me, I’ve brought these concepts to an incredibly diverse set of experiences and contexts. I’ve used it to help communities plan, to facilitate organizational change in massive oil companies, to create a supportive space for women entrepreneurs and of course, I use it all the time in my own business.
And what I have learned from all of it, is that it always works. When I have to create change, facilitate change or adapt to change, Action Learning never lets me down. The reason is simple, I think:
Action Learning was designed for how humans think, behave and learn best.
It doesn’t ask us to stop being human. It acknowledges that we adapt and learn when all change starts with a pause. The process recognizes that change requires us to learn, which requires us to live in discomfort. And knowing that we will be uncomfortable, the Action Learning practice holds us as learners in a safe space to explore, without needing to know any of the answers.
Action Learning is a structure for working together in small groups that follows the learning cycle and balances action and reflection. It facilitates a slowing down in order to speed up – something that has become increasingly rare, and yet essential, in our incredibly fast-moving society.
The structure of Action Learning creates safety in the discomfort of not knowing. It provides us with opportunities to experiment and learn by doing with the support of others and with our own learning as the primary outcome.
The Action Learning practice is versatile and can be adapted to a variety of circumstances, and yet it consistently produces clarity and momentum in the face of the most complex problems. If all this sounds like the secret sauce that you need in your life and your work, I’m running an 8-week program this spring where you are invited to learn about and practice Action Learning.
Bring your wildest dreams for change, your intentions, and your biggest challenges. Come if you feel stuck. In fact, come especially if you feel stuck. Sign up here.