In over 30 years, we trained 50,000+ adult learners globally and we've found that great leaders are perpetual learners.  Likewise, curious, eager learners ultimately find themselves in leadership roles.  

We created the Learning Lifecycle because it's how people grow. All of our training, coaching, and mentoring methodologies start here, at the heart of true learning.

Where Are You on Your Learning Journey?

When you understand and leverage the Learning Lifecycle you acquire skills faster because you become fully aligned. Learning should be as natural as breathing—not an extra burden that's stopping you from achieving your goals.

The cycle starts at the Yearn phase and ends in the Burn phase, before repeating itself again. Let's look at each of the phases in turn. 

Yearn

"Yearn" simply means that as a leader, you Yearn to learn and accomplish more. You see gaps or voids that others do not and are aware of problems that need your attention. You actively search for ways to improve processes, strengthen communication, and encourage open discussion.

You are not comfortable sitting back and accepting complacency in yourself or your team and recognize it is up to you as a leader to strike the Yearn spark to break out of the status quo.

You Yearn to make a difference. 

Learn

Once you yearn to fix the problems and face the challenges you've identified, you are ready to "Learn." This part of the Learning Lifecycle TM is always exciting and stimulating. During the Learn phase, you begin to imagine what you will have gained once you're finished: whether it's skills, knowledge, a degree, a badge, a certificate, or simply a pride in your accomplishments.

However, as you drill deeper into the Learn phase, learning itself becomes more of a challenge because you are striving to master new skills and concepts. At this stage, it is important to understand how you and each individual on your team best learns and retains knowledge (hands-on lectures? web-based? self-directed?). Then, as a leader, you can inspire and guide everyone to their path of highest achievement.

Turn

"Turn" refers to the point when a challenge or struggle gets tougher. Remember, we lost 90% oft h e population at Yearn, and unfortunately we will lose another significant percentage of people here. However, true leaders dig in and finish strong, no matter how sharp the turn, or how steep the incline they face. A critical component of Turn is your role as a motivator, cheerleader, and champion for the people you lead.

They are looking to you for guidance heading into the turn, and the newly-developed skills, tools, and strategies that you've mastered will enable you to smoothly pull your team through the Turn.

Earn

When leaders and their teams successfully overcome the challenges of the Turn, the payoff is what they "Earn." Although increased income is part of this Earn, we are not just talking about monetary rewards. More importantly, leaders and their teams who reach this level of accomplishment earn credibility, confidence, and competence. While money and connections may come and go, these three "C's" grow over time and will stay with you over the course of your career. 

With the credibility, confidence, and competence you gain with each successfully completed project or initiative, your worth and value to your organization increase exponentially. As a leader, the Earn phase is an exciting and reward representation of the energy, effort, and time you've dedicated to increasing your skills and guiding your team members to do the same. 

Burn

At the "Burn" phase, we tend to lose yet another percentage of the population. This is because people get complacent once the high energy and intensity of the previous cycles dissipate. So, while it's critical to celebrate and enjoy hard-earned successes, leaders must Burn off comfort and complacency of their current state and prepare for the next challenge.

Ideally, the Learning Lifecycle never ends if you, as a leader, are doing your job properly. It regenerates each time you've finished a project, accomplished a goal, or completed a difficult task. After celebrating and enjoying victory in the "Earn" phase, then re-prioritizing in the "Burn" phase, you identify a new set of gaps, tasks, or problems, "Yearn" to solve them, and then work on mastering the new skills necessary to successfully move forward through the Learning Lifecycle once again.