Why Some Professionals Never Grow: Facing The Learning Curve

How far you rise in your career has a direct correlation to how you respond to the “learning curve.” In today’s tech-driven culture, we face the learning curve almost on a daily basis. Every time our apps update, we have to learn those changes. When we get a new computer, it usually operates differently than the old one. Presentation software is constantly changing. Chances are, how your business or nonprofit operates is changing as well – not to mention the work of getting up to speed when an employee joins or leaves the team.

The problem is, some people simply refuse to face the learning curve, and as a result, get stuck. I know a department head at one organization who never rises to the level he’s capable of, because he hates to experience the pain of the learning curve. He won’t take the time to learn how to present well in meetings, so his ideas are usually passed over. When his apps update, he complains.  When he gets a new computer, he hates it. He won’t experiment with new apps, programs, or ways of working because it takes too long to learn, and he’s used to the old way (no matter how inefficient).

There’s always someone in the office or on the team who is too stubborn, set in their ways, or even too lazy to push through the battle and learn something new. The learning curve takes time, is frustrating, and requires focus. It can frankly be a pain.

But without it, you’ll always be stuck.

So – what are the areas of your life where you need to face the learning curve head on?