The concept of lifelong learning is already a part of who I am as an individual so the notion of incorporating them into my professional life is a given. However, incorporating the notion into my professional life requires more thought since it should, in my opinion, be applied deliberately and thoughtfully in the professional arena. Prior to reading Kotter’s (2012) “Mental Habits of Lifelong Learning” I’m not sure I could have articulated them the way he does. But as a professional, I see the value of each of those habits and can see how to incorporate them into my lifelong learning as a nursing professional which will be detailed in this paper. Lifelong learning also has the potential to contribute to my growth in nursing leadership roles; this will also be discussed. This paper will also explore the connection I see between the “Projections for the Future” as discussed in Yoder-Wise (2015) and lifelong learning.
The five mental habits seem simple but their application to the process of lifelong professional learning demonstrates their relevance and importance (Kotter, 2012). The first is risk-taking which Kotter (2012) describes as “willingness to push oneself out of comfort zones” (p. 190). The application of this habit to my professional life would take the form of identifying those tasks or procedures which are in my purview but which I find myself avoiding. Once I identified those tasks and understood why I avoid them (more on that later) I would make a point of actively seeking out such tasks and making myself do them. I would also identify tasks which may be out of my purview or skill set but which I would like to take part in or learn more about, either for my own knowledge or to improve my overall skill set. Even if I am intimidated by the task, or even by the prospect of asking to participate to learn more, I will make myself ask.
Humble self-reflection is a critical part of the process; it is the “honest assessment of successes and failures, especially the latter” (Kotter, 2012, p. 190). This is the element that allows a person to understand their own performances. It is also how I would reflect on why I avoid certain tasks and how I would understand my own feelings and behaviors about that. It is how I would assess my own fears and feelings about my job, my performance on the job, and my capacity to learn and improve myself. I see this as one of the most critical parts of the process since it allows a person to gauge their performance and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
“Solicitation of opinions” which is the “aggressive collection of information and ideas from others” is also a part of the feedback loop which is essential to improve (Kotter, 2012, p. 190). Self-reflection is one’s own perceptions of their performance; solicitation of opinions provides one with insight from others. Having constructive criticism from one’s colleagues can also help one understand one’s strengths and weaknesses, helping one to better understand one’s own areas of improvement and needs, or see one’s performance through other eyes. This is also how one might support one’s colleagues as well – helping each other learn and grow as professionals.
Kotter (2012) also identifies careful listening as an important habit. He describes it as a “propensity to listen to others” (Kotter, 2012, p. 190). This habit must be in place in order to truly hear the feedback one gets from one’s colleagues; it must also be in place in order to learn from others. If one assumes that one knows everything and/or knows better than everybody else, it is going to be difficult to learn new things or to consider old things in new ways. One has to be willing to listen in order to learn new things, see old things in new ways, and to identify opportunities for learning.
“Openness to new ideas” is Kotter’s (2012) final habit, defined as “willingness to view life with an open mind” (p. 190). This is obviously related to listening since listening allows one to experience new things or new perspectives – even new perspectives on old things. This also requires one to engage in risk-taking – after all, staying in one’s comfort zone means one is not open to new things. How can one learn new things if one isn’t open to them?
Lifelong learning will be a critical component of my growth in leadership roles. All of these mental habits which contribute to lifelong learning also double as good practices for a nursing leader. Good leaders must be willing to push out beyond their comfort zone – if they don’t, how can they help others to push beyond their comfort zones? Good leaders must be willing to engage in self-reflection in order to understand themselves; this helps them help others to understand themselves. Soliciting opinions from others shows a willingness to entertain constructive criticism and being receptive to feedback (good and bad), two qualities which are critical to teamwork and leading a team. Listening is a critical skill for ALL nurses but perhaps even more so for the leaders – they must listen to both patients and subordinates. Openness to new ideas is critical for the leader since new ideas may mean new solutions to problems and ways of enhancing care.
In considering the many possibilities that Yoder-Wise (2015) presents in “Projections for the Future,” the idea which emerges most clearly for me is the need to be able to adapt and to do so quickly. Being able to adapt quickly is not always easy, and given the paradigm shifts Yoder-Wise (2015) seems to anticipate occurring, the need for a quick and appropriate response will increase. What is the connection between this and lifelong learning? Well, the more one learns and incorporates into one’s skill set and knowledge base, the more tools and resources one has at one’s disposal to cope with such changes and shifts. In essence, lifelong learning enables one to be better equipped to deal with change and to learn new things as needed. It also has the capacity to help one anticipate such changes on one’s own recognizance and respond to them proactively.
