In today’s job market, the requirement of “a demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning” seems to be essential for most jobs.

The New York Times reports, the middle-aged brain "If kept in good shape, the brain can continue to build pathways that help its owner recognize patterns and, as a consequence, see significance and even solutions much faster than a young person can.” However, in order to keep the aging brain fit, “Educators say that, for adults, one way to nudge neurons in the right direction is to challenge the very assumptions they have worked so hard to accumulate while young.”

When we are young, we explore and absorb information in order to be able to understand the world around us, but as we gain the needed understanding of an issue, we make assumptions that we incorporate into our worldview. These assumptions serve us well. They save us time and energy and allow us to respond quickly to situations. For some of these assumptions, however, we neglect to challenge them as time passes, especially if we do not encounter new information.

The study referenced in The New York Times suggests that we should be re-visiting old assumptions and seeking out new information to challenge our beliefs in order to exercise our brains.

Amongst my colleagues who have travelled extensively, there is a common thread. These individuals intentionally put themselves in situations that differ from their day-to-day reality, to enhance their learning.

We cannot all travel the world, but we can intensify our search for new ideas. We can:

-encourage open expression of conflicting opinions and ideas when making business decisions,

-take time to absorb new information by resisting the impulse to react immediately when an opinion expressed opposes our current ways of thinking,

-evaluate the potential risks and benefits of a variety of options before making a final strategic decision,

-remove negative consequences—intentional and unintentional—of expressing an opinion that opposes the status quo,

-encourage new ideas and reward those ideas that resolve problems,

-take time to consider what it means when someone says “but this is how we do things around here,”

-whenever possible, give employees the opportunity to experience day-to-day functioning in other parts of the company to expand learning,

-give employees the appropriate level of autonomy to meet their performance goals and take note of the different ways employees meet the same goals,

-individualize learning and development,

-find out if employees understand the most pressing problems that colleagues in other departments face.

References:

Strauch, Barbara. “How to Train the Aging Brain.” The New York Times [www.nytimes.com]. December 29, 2009.