december2021 - 31

THE STAFFING & HR ADVISOR
How a Learning Culture Can
Transform Your Practice
PAUL McDONALD
Senior Executive Director
Robert Half
paul.mcdonald@cpapracticeadvisor.com
WHAT IS A BEGINNER'S
MINDSET?
Have you ever noticed how inexperienced
people can sometimes be
the most perceptive? For example,
it's not uncommon for interns to
spot a process inefficiency or an
opportunity for improvement that
the office veterans missed.
That's because the intern is
looking at things with fresh eyes.
Experienced people get acclimatized
to processes over time, which means
they start to filter out information
they think is irrelevant. This can
cause them to miss obvious areas
for improvement.
A beginner's mindset is about
trying to see things from an
" intern's " perspective, if you will.
If you can get your team into this
mindset, your firm will be able to
take advantage of change rather
than belatedly react to it. That
means you'll be ready to quickly
jump on new opportunities.
One of the challenges associated
with team learning is that everyone
is at a different level. Some people
are great with technology; others
know everything about compliance.
And sometimes, people don't want
to let others know they're struggling
with a particular topic, sensing it
would undermine their authority.
When your team embraces the
beginner's mindset, these insecurities
fall away. Everyone is free to ask questions
without judgment, and subject
matter experts are encouraged to
IN THE WORLD of public accounting, clients choose your firm because they know that the team
is knowledgeable, professional and experienced. There are times, though, when that expertise
can hold you back. It can lead to rigid thinking when circumstances call for nimble decision
making and creative solutions. Times change, and the need to keep an open mind - to continue
learning - never ends. It's critical to foster a culture of ongoing learning in your organization.
One of the best ways to do this is to encourage a beginner's mindset with your team.
review and, if necessary, revise their
most fundamental assumptions
about their specialist areas.
BUILDING OUT YOUR
LEARNING CULTURE
Just because you shouldn't want
your team's expertise to lead to
rigid thinking doesn't mean it's
no longer valuable. What areas do
people want to learn more about
and how can you leverage collective
knowledge?
■ Ask your team what they want
to learn. Address any knowledge
gaps you feel exist within your team
with upskilling opportunities, but
also approach everyone in a group
meeting or individually to ask what
skills they want to learn or improve.
Some employees might come up
with areas you hadn't recognized
as a skills gap, such as an emerging
technology that wasn't on your
radar. Deciding to provide training
in that area may significantly
improve your competitiveness.
■ Look for internal subject matter
experts. Your team already has
an incredible amount of knowledge.
But it may not be evenly distributed
yet. Find out what everyone is
good at and what they would be
comfortable discussing with their
colleagues. Everyone has something
to contr ibute. For instance, a
recent college graduate who is just
beginning his or her professional
life might be able to speak about
subjects that trip up more seasoned
colleagues, such as technology,
social media or diversity (www.
cpapracticeadvisor.com/21232312).
■ Build learning materials. If
possible, ask your local experts to
create reusable materials, such as
blogs, how-tos, wikis and videos.
This kind of work can represent
a major time investment on the
expert's part, but the expert will
be creating something that can be
used in training again and again.
■ Bring in outside expertise. If
you don't have an in-house staff
development group, consider bringing
in external experts to train your
team. Alternatively, you can look
at online learning platforms like
Skillshare or Udemy to see if they
have suitable learning materials.
Make sure to vet any external
sources beforehand to ensure that
they meet your standards.
■ Make learning part of a normal
day. When should you devote time
to education? In a learning culture,
the answer is: always. You can help
make learning part of the regular
routine by scheduling lunchtime
seminars (virtual or on-site) or
including knowledge-sharing as an
agenda item on meetings. If possible,
encourage people to set aside
some time in their daily schedule to
focus on skills development.
■ Share your wins. A learning
culture is, above all else, a culture.
It is part of who you are as an
organization. The team can benefit
from talking to each other about
what they're learning, share advice
and resources, and encourage each
other to continue developing. Consider
starting a learning newsletter
to help them do this.
■ Get senior leadership on board.
Everyone benefits from a learning
culture. A beginner's mindset might
even help tenured employees see
the business in a new light, which
could spark some valuable strategic
thinking. Having senior leadership
involved also sends a great message
to the team - that learning really
is a fundamental part of your firm's
culture.
A LEARNING CULTURE IS
A WIN FOR EVERYONE
Another benefit of learning cultures
is increased employee engagement
and retention. When people are
learning, they're growing. And
when they're growing, they're
getting closer to achieving their
professional goals. That sense of
career momentum helps people feel
energized about their work - and
encourages them to stick with your
team over the long term. ■
DECEMBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
31

http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/21232312 http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/21232312 http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

december2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2021