In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the importance of learning in the realm of project management. They emphasize the pivotal role of self-directed learning in improving project delivery, not just for project managers but for leaders across various fields. Drawing from personal experiences and industry insights, they discuss the concept of 'learning to learn' and its impact on careers, teams, and customer satisfaction. The hosts also dive into the challenges that hinder effective learning, such as work pressures and unsupportive organizational cultures, and suggest practical strategies for overcoming these barriers. This episode kicks off a reflective week aimed at equipping listeners with valuable tools and techniques to enhance their project management practices.

Main Take-Aways

The entire Season 4 focuses on the human factors that enhance your ability to lead. Self-learning or learning to learn is important in developing these people-related skills:

• why you should never stop learning
• defining what we mean by self-directed learning
• leaders are not born; leaders know how to learn
• having a sense of curiosity
• modalities for learning
• barriers to learning

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Self-Learning for Project Success

00:28 Reflecting on the Season 4 journey of podcast episodes focused on leadership topics for the project leader and for leadership in general.

01:48 Learning to learn – the core concept.

02:32 The importance of self-directed learning – why you should never stop learning.

03:41 Defining self-directed learning to put the next several episodes in context.

04:53 Leaders are not born. You can learn to be an excellent leader, and some of that comes with your ability of learning to learn.

05:52 Curiosity is critical to your ability to learn to learn. Curiosity leads to effort and focus.

09:09 Individuals learn through a variety of learning modalities (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.).

10:59 Strategizing self-learning using the what, why, how, tools, and stories (i.e., reviewing the many episodes of this podcast’s Season 4).

12:20 Some barriers to learning and learning to overcome these barriers:

12:33     … project pressures and time constraints

12:57     … communication – and the noise in our heads that prevents you from completely learning

15:18     … organizational culture that doesn’t support learning

16:47     … lack of mentorship and limited feedback

17:05     … lack of motivation

17:39     … lack of self-awareness