What should I put in my Learning Plan?
As an Executive, it is important to lead a learning organization: by investing in yourself through continually improving and developing your skills and abilities; and by supporting the learning and development of your team members.
The 2017 Human Capital Trends (Deloitte, 2017) report highlighted that the half-life of a learned skill is 5 years (p. 30).
These types of findings support what we know intuitively – learning as an ongoing investment in self and others is critical to maintain agility and relevance.
What is the learning continuum and why you should care?
In considering what to include in your learning plan, it is useful to examine learning opportunities across the learning continuum which spans informal, on-the-job and formal learning opportunities.
Roughly speaking, only about 10% of learning occurs through “formal” classroom training. Exploring the full range of options across the continuum which might help at this stage in your job and in your career, and widening your focus from formal through informal opportunities can help you find the necessary time for learning within the pressures of your position and the demands placed on you.
In your identification of learning opportunities, you may want to consider:
- Developing yourself to pursue your career aspirations – which could include advancement or job enrichment;
- Developing your key leadership competencies;
- Strengthening or maintaining your currency in your area of specialization;
- Taking into consideration input/feedback you have received from your manager/mentor in performance feedback and discussions about talent management; and,
- Seeking and taking into consideration input/feedback you have received from your direct reports – either through your regular bilateral feedback discussions or through an employee to manager feedback tool/questionnaire or 360 evaluation.
Formal learning (may include courses, workshops or development programs)
Leadership Development through the Canada School of the Public Service
The Canada School of the Public Service (CSPS) has an extensive service offering that can support you in strengthening your competencies in your role.
Learning for Critical Transitions
For new Executives, within 6 to 12 months of taking on a Director position, the CSPS recommends the New Directors Program. The Program helps you understand your new role and what is expected of you as an executive. It includes classroom sessions, practical assignments, job aids, readings and other resources and offers an opportunity to expand your network.
A similar program is also designed for new Directors General focused on delivering results in a complex and dynamic environment. It includes two full days of learning events and a diverse selection of learning activities.
Two Executive Leadership Development Programs (ELDPs) are also to be offered. Currently, ELDP for EX-04 and EX-05 offers development through expert speakers, practical case studies and innovative approaches to individual and team development. ELDP for EX-01 to EX-03 is being developed and is anticipated to launch in fall of 2017. Participation for these programs is limited (about 50 participants per year for the ELDP for EX-01 to EX-03); selection is done by interdepartmental senior management committee, chaired by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Office.
Learning to develop specific competencies, strengthen foundational skills or expand knowledge
Learning opportunities to further develop competencies linked to government and public service priorities are provided covering a range of areas including, for example, Indigenous Awareness, Open Government and Project Management. Visit the CSPS website for more details on the range of opportunities available.
Learning opportunities include videos and other online learning to view and consider when convenient to you, formal courses, job aids and additional resources relevant to that topic.
| Be open to new approaches and styles of delivering formal learning. Whether through the CSPS or other external service providers, offerings such as lunch time webinars or podcasts that you can access on your own terms (when you have the time) provide you with an opportunity to be inspired by new ideas or directions in thinking outside your day-to-day work. These should also be captured in your learning plan, to demonstrate your ongoing investment and commitment to learning. |
Special Events
Regular “EXecuTALK” events are scheduled by the CSPS for Executives to broaden their knowledge of current government priorities and commitments. You can participate in these 30 minute-sessions via Webcast. Consult the CSPS Event Calendar for a listing of upcoming events and information on how to register.
External Organizations
Many academic Institutions (public and private) and non-governmental organizations offer a wide variety of learning opportunities – either as stand-alone courses or as part of degree or diploma programs. Verify the offerings of organizations in your city or online offerings as you may find unique opportunities to build or strengthen your competencies. Universities and colleges, especially through continuing education programs, offer opportunities which you can tailor to your needs.
Self-Assessment
As an Executive, your understanding of yourself is a critical component of your leadership. ” …There is one quality that trumps all, evident in virtually every great entrepreneur, manager, and leader. That quality is self-awareness. The best thing leaders can do to improve their effectiveness is to become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making. ” (HBR, How Leaders Become Self-Aware, July 19, 2012).
Many leadership programs offer opportunities to build self-awareness. If you haven’t had an opportunity to explore self-assessment already, then this may be a valuable investment of your time. While many off-the-shelf self-awareness tools exist, working through a tool with a coach or in the context of a leadership development program could help you more fully realize the insights to be gained and what to do with that insight.
On the job
Micro-missions
If you are interested in building competencies or exposure to a new area of work, a micro mission or job shadowing may be a great way to do it. Micro-missions are a commitment on your behalf to spend a bit of time working with a different team either on a specific project or to build a specific skill set. They get the benefit of your investment to achieve a certain milestone or task or contribute to a project and you have the opportunity to build your understanding of a different area of work.
Exploring this option with your manager may help identify possible micro-missions. Also, GCconnex – through the Jobs Marketplace – provides more information on micro-missions and how to find (or create) a micro-mission opportunity.
Assignments / Interchange Canada
Seeking an assignment — either within your department/agency, the broader public service or outside the public service (through an Interchange Canada assignment or by taking some form of leave with or without pay) – can provide you with opportunities to develop your competencies in different areas (i.e., new skill sets) or in different contexts (a new organization) which you will bring back to your home organization after the assignment is over.
Approval of assignments are at the discretion of your manager and sometimes require Deputy Head approval. To that end, be strategic in how you identify and negotiate such an opportunity. Use your performance and talent management discussions to flag that you would be interested in taking such an assignment. Present the opportunity as being value added to both you and your home organization. Propose timing which makes the assignment most feasible. Suggest a strategy for replacing you while you are away.
Job shadowing
Job shadowing is the practice of working with or observing an experienced colleague with the goal of learning from them. This can be useful to develop or strengthen a particular competency, where the person being shadowed is particularly good at what they do. Or, it can be used to give you a sense of whether a particular type of job may be a possibility for a career next step for you. It can provide you with valuable practical insight into what a particular job entails or how to use a particular skill. The exposure also provides you with an opportunity to explore with the person you are shadowing some of the implicit knowledge or insight that would not be captured in a job description, for example.
Setting up a job shadowing arrangement can be for various time commitments (for example, one day, one week, one morning for 4 consecutive weeks) depending on the intent of the experience. That investment of both your time and of the person who you will shadow will be agreed to by both of you, and your managers.
Peer Mentoring – as part of onboarding
If you are new to an organization or role, seek out (alone or with your manager’s assistance) a peer mentor who can facilitate your integration into your new organization. Having this informal relationship allows you to build your knowledge and understand the organizations culture, the way decision making works and where the power resides.
Learning Events / Conferences
The Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service (APEX) holds it’s annual Symposium in late May / early June of each year. The Symposium is the premiere learning event of its kind. It is a learning event designed to introduce you to new and emerging ideas and approaches and leave you with insight that can shape how you deliver on your objectives.
Many public and private sector led leadership conferences are organized annually. Conferences that keep you knowledgeable and your skills attuned with respect to your area of expertise are also available.
Including these in your learning plan reflects the importance and relevance of the conference as a learning event to your role. While this is no guarantee of participation, especially in a context of either budget restraint or maximum number of participants per organization, it clearly signals your interest.
Informal learning
Mentoring – for career development and growth
Mentoring is a relationship in which the mentor shares knowledge and advice based on his or her expertise, experience and knowledge. The trusting relationship you build with your mentor will create a space for confidential and honest advice. Generally, the further your mentor is from the hierarchy in which you work, the easier it is to have open, frank conversations about issues you are working through.
Finding a mentor often happens in an informal way – you identify an individual whose leadership you admire and approach that person to ask about the possibility of establishing a mentoring relationship. Be clear about what you hope to achieve through the relationship so both of you know what you are committing to up front.
Some departments have mentoring programs in place. Your Human Resources team could advise you as to where you might access information about the program.
GCTools can also facilitate finding a mentor using online tools as part of the Jobs Marketplace. You can find a mentor (either current public service employee or a retired public servant) using GCconnex and CGcollab.
To make yourself available to be a mentor, go to your Profile page, click on “EDIT” for the Opt In section, and click on the box beside “Mentor” under Development Opportunities.
Coaching
Coaching focuses on specific development objectives that you will agree to in discussion with your manager. Through a one-on-one relationship, it allows you to gain the insight you need in your development. Coaching is development support that focuses on your current potential, without providing you with all the answers.
One-on-one coaching is not a service typically provided by departments/agencies. Your Executive Group Services team or contact person in Human Resources may have some recommendations for you if you are looking for a coach. Also, colleagues who have worked with a coach may be able to provide you with a recommendation. Many coaching services are available in the market.
It is important that you have a strong positive relationship with your coach. Before making a long term commitment, be sure to meet with a potential coach and have an initial discussion about your needs. This first meeting will give you the insight you need to determine if you and the coach are a good “fit”.
Executive Counselling Services (part of the Public Service Commission) offers one-on-one confidential counselling and coaching services for aspiring executives (EX minus 3 and above) and executives. Services include: preparation for board interviews, board preparation simulations, career development planning, career challenges, transitions, developmental assessment and coaching services.
Reverse mentoring – to learn new skills
Reverse mentoring gives employees the chance to help executives build their knowledge about a variety of things such as trends and techniques for using social media; consumer culture; and, unconventional methods to boost office morale. Mentoring is rarely one-sided. Executives have opportunities to provide insight and guidance to employees. And, reverse mentoring may also provide executives more candid feedback than the highly-filtered intel they normally get.
A number of sources can be used to find a reverse mentor. Your department/agency may run a mentoring program that includes reverse mentors. The Federal Youth Network manages a National mentoring inventory. The Jobs Marketplace mentoring information also provides a way to search for colleagues who are interested in a mentoring relationship. Or, using a more informal approach may work for you – an employee within the organization you lead, or close to it, may have the skills and background to connect with you as a reverse mentor.
Communities of Practice
APEX provides you, as an Executive in the federal public service, with a connection to a community of practice that spans all organizations. As part of its mandate to build a strong community of practice, APEX holds frequent events that
- Provide for informal discussions with senior executives on subjects that matter to the community;
- Provide learning opportunities on a variety of practical topics impacting our day-to-day jobs;
- Provide opportunities to visit locations to see first-hand the work involved in complex projects or operations; and
- Engage with colleagues for discussions on current and emerging issues of concern to Executives.
You can visit the APEX Events calendar to see the upcoming events. Events are also communicated through our monthly newsletter (which you should receive by email).
Some organizations also have an Executive community of practice. These informal networks often provide opportunities to not only learn about and influence the directions of your organization, but also to build connections with your colleagues. If your organization has one, tap into it. If not, consider initiating such a group with open brown bag lunch invitations in a boardroom, for example. Being able to explore ideas, concerns or issues with colleagues who may be experiencing similar challenges may be beneficial.
Being part of a Learning Environment
In an era where opportunities to learn and grow skills sets are in constant evolution, being part of a learning organization is essential to maintaining your relevance and effectiveness. While finding time to invest in learning can be challenging with the demands of an Executive position, the returns to you, your team and your organization cannot be understated. Look for and be open to new ways of learning – learning with whole teams, individual learning that they can then be shared with the entire work unit or team, team members sharing their unique skill sets with others, etc.
Sources:
Canada School of the Public Service
https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/exdev-eng.aspx
Jobs Marketplace
https://www.gcpedia.gc.ca/wiki/Jobs_Marketplace#General_Information
Key Leadership Competencies
Interchange Canada
Executive Counselling Services, Public Service Commission
