The desire to continuously learn, grow, and improve ourselves is fundamental to who we are. It’s ingrained in every one of us. Dan Pink, the author of Drive, calls this concept our intrinsic motivation, our internal drive to do a job well because it matters to us personally. We find it rewarding. Conversely, extrinsic motivation refers to our tendency to perform activities based on reward, praise, or punishment. Pink cites studies that argue that, time and time again, humans perform better when intrinsically motivated.
If these theories teach you anything, it’s that personal growth often motivates people more than financial reward, which means you shouldn’t count out the power of investing in your employees’ development. People want the opportunity to learn, grow, and improve their skills, and they want those opportunities to be made available at work — not just after hours. And companies are starting to take notice. Innovative HR and business leaders leverage internal continuing education programs as a recruitment, retention, and engagement tactic.
When researchers from Harvard Business Review asked Millennials what they wanted from a new job opportunity, they listed the ability to learn and grow, quality of managers, quality of management, interest in the type of work, and opportunity for advancement above overall compensation. I’m not saying compensation is not important; it certainly is. What I’m suggesting is that the power of providing ongoing learning and development opportunities to your employees is profound.
Job perks, such as learning, development, and career advancement, are becoming increasingly attractive to the workforce, especially to intrinsically motivated ones. Investing in education and skills demonstrates you care about the professional growth of the individuals in your workforce, not just the growth of your business.
So, don’t count out the power of continuous learning. It’s not only a great way to attract, retain, and engage your workforce; it’s a great way to grow your business and increase innovation.
What are you doing to encourage learning and development in your organization?