Design the Future of Learning

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Moonshot Learning
Learning from sincere desire. Without stress. For an audacious goal. Fun, empowering, liberating.
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Observation

The typical motivations cited for learning, e.g. career advancement, higher salary and perks, etc. are not necessarily the ideal motivators. Instead, they lead to performance anxiety, to stress over trying to juggle them with routine work and life, to competition with peers that can cause friction. Stress builds up, and is conducive to neither learning nor joy at work.

Conclusion

A better approach to stress-free, joyful, fulfilling learning is when the goal is a "moonshot." That is, something so audacious that the learner will never blame himself if he does not reach the goal. His team, company will not blame him either. Yet, the goal will be so desirable for the greater good that everyone will deem it worth chasing, and do so actively.

Solution

Each organization should define its moonshot, i.e. a problem that needs bold solutions, and encourage employees to solve that problem via their own expertise, sharing AND new learning. For example, for many industrial companies, an ideal moonshot is aligning their processes and products with the circular economy to the greatest extent possible. Employees, teams CAN solve this through learning and creativity...and they know the payoff can change their company and the world for the better.

How would you stage or advertise your hack?

Meetings at various management levels to get an agreement on the moonshot problem being chosen. The moonshot goal is announced at a major gathering and/or through internal channels, posters.All employees attend, in groups, a webinar and/or training session on active learning approaches and how to use existing and new knowledge for creative problem solving. Teams are likely to divvy up learning goals among individuals and encourage sharing/teaching between them. Or even their own hacks.Team leaders and resource guides shall encourage employees to A. challenge themselves and their learning by quizzing themselves. B. Summarize and share with someone else.The act of discussing or teaching also helps improve depth and width of knowledge. C. Associate what's newly learned, at least in part, with something you already know. This mindset and moonshot goal empowers people to learn for the pure joy of learning and solving, without feeling pressure or stress or "putting their necks on the line."