Learn Before You Leap.

This is a great example of an organization leading with the principles of a Learning Culture. And it’s a government agency.

My client, the Oregon Health Authority, recently had a longtime administrator retire. This manager had led a large, complex and visible department for more than 20 years. The department is very busy, and constantly juggles the needs and priorities of funders, contractors, community partners, constituents, advocates, policy makers and more. There’s a ton of work to be done all the time, so the pressure to fill the position quickly and be fully-staffed is real.

Rather than act reflexively and rush to fill the job as-is, my client made the decision to stop, take a step back, and ask the following questions: 1) Are the structure, role and expectations of this Manager position still current? 2) How might the department this Manager leads be more effective, current or relevant?

Even more impressive, my client didn’t just ask these questions of itself. It engaged a wide variety of external stakeholders in this assessment, too.

That’s a learning culture in action. Asking questions. Challenging assumptions. Reassessing. Willing to change. Always learning. And then moving forward.

Let’s discuss ways your business or organization can be a Learning Culture.