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Learning is an ongoing endeavor for any success minded business owner or leader to employ. Perhaps few learning experiences are better than the insight you can gain from being a part of a learning group or often commonly called a “study group.”
Study or learning groups have been around for many years and cover virtually every occupational spectrum. Basically the learning group is an assortment of people engaged in a similar position and industry or similar position and a variety of industries who meet on a regular schedule to share business and personal practices that supports greater business growth potential and more viable personal development. The participants mutually serve to benefit as well as provide a level of accountability for the members by providing a safe zone for advice, insight and focus which can lead to more effective decision making necessary for heightened success professionally and personally.
Whether you establish your learning group within your company, within your industry or choose to expand and utilize similar roles in a variety of industries, there are some common foundational rules you should follow.
First, it is important to decide how the group will be comprised. You would evaluate the number of people; the industry or industries; and, eligibility for membership. Keep in mind that most groups of this nature attempt to operate with no more than twelve (12) members.
Second, what restrictions will you have? Will you limit the number of companies or industries to be represented? What are your limits on geography as it pertains to membership? Understanding clearly what you desire and what your restrictions are should enable you to comprise your group more succinctly.
Third, what is your vision and mission for the group? This is a great starter point for you as you launch your group but also should be a topic of discussion quickly as the group is finalized and other plans are made. Gathering input from those impacted will insure the most precise vision and mission are developed. Remember the essence of thinking together versus alike will insure greater focus. Vision guides your pathway and mission drives your actions. When both are clear there is virtually no limit to how effective your group can become.
Fourth, it is vital to decide how often the group will meet and where and how the meetings will be conducted. Most often as you begin, the group will want to convene as quickly as possible. That is a good thing since it enables the excitement and growing interest in the effort to merge. When assembled, it is vital that the group decide what gathering timeframes are most practical for the learning group to follow. In doing so, it is important to note that those groups who meet only once per year often find difficulty in gaining the insight and building camaraderie that is vital for success. Further, consideration of central points to meet or whether members become hosts in their locales are viable areas to explore. Finally, decisions on how leadership is exhibited, topics to be explored and how they are decided, expenses shared or agreed upon, as well as communications regarding the event timeframes must be discussed and established as group norms. The bigger picture should be on what best serves the group not one particular individual.
Fifth, it is vital to remember that change is imminent. As the learning group evolves, change will come. That is not a bad thing because when you are involved in an effort you find out what does not work. That allows a focus on a direction or process that will work much better and provide more evolving systemic results.
It doesn’t take “rocket science” to build an effective learning group that will enable even the most novice business professional to gain from his or her exposure to viable business insights. The bigger issue comes in making the decision to undertake the effort. The effort to not gain insight into another member’s confidential business matters but more importantly to understand that in the business environment, others than yourself can provide some viable ideas to assist you in your actions. Perhaps these ideas will not be utilized in the same manner but refitted to your needs and culture so that your business or you personally can find benefit.
Learning matters. Learning together enables learning to matter even more. Get involved in a learning group and take your career, your business and your personal mindset to greater heights. As Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus said in their book, Leaders; Strategies for Taking Charge: “Learning is the essential fuel for the leader, the source of high-octane energy that keeps up the momentum by continually sparking new understanding, new ideas, and new challenges. It is absolutely indispensable under today’s conditions of rapid change and complexity. Very simply, those who do not learn do not long survive as leaders.”
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