Continuous Learning is the Foundation of a Growth Mindset
Professional athletes spend more time practicing than playing.
In the rest of the professional world, we get more focused on doing and have trouble finding the time for continuous learning.
Track Progress with Hill Charts to build in a Learning Phase
One of the best ways to build a culture of and processes for continuous learning is use the Hill Chart for tracking initiative progress.
It builds in the expectation that each initiative requires a learning phase before the team moves into doing mode.
Create a Structured Learning Phase by Validating Key Assumptions
To create a structured learning phase, start by plotting the initiatives on an impact-effort matrix to determine the relative ROI of each initiative.
As teams debate why one initiative has a higher ROI than another, they list their assumptions about that initiative.
You then track each assumption on a matrix by the impact and probability of the assumption being wrong.
This exercise identifies key assumptions that should be validated or considered for validating.
As the team performs customer surveys, proofs of concepts, etc. to validate these key assumptions, the dot for the initiative moves up the hill. This provides structure for the learning phase and sets expectations for the scope of learning required.
Resources
See how to use a Hill Chart.
See how a Hill Chart, Impact-Effort Matrix, and an Assumptions Matrix combine to create a structured learning phase.