How to bootstrap a continuous learning organization

Anyone who wants to build a high-performing organization needs to make learning and sharing explicit job expectations, with aligned performance goals.

Most people with good ideas are not savants. They are simply bringing in new ideas from outside the org. Now make that an expectation instead of relying on the initiative of a few, and that is how you get a people machine spinning to drive growth and innovation.

Example learning goals: watch one talk a month, read one book a quarter. Example sharing goals: give two team presentations a year, write one article per year. They don't have to be humongous. Keep them achievable.

Make it part of their coaching. Book time to discuss the article they just read or talk they listened to. Help them draft a presentation or a paper.