Yes we can cultivate an attitude towards lifelong learning

I took a call last week that did not start out very well. The person was a small business owner who had been told he needed to take a health and safety training course he had taken a little over a year ago. He was upset and angry that someone could tell him what he had to do. He was also thinking this was just a money grab, after all what could have changed in a year.

When I asked him some questions about the training he took, what it included and the things ge learned he started to realize that there had been a lot of changes since he had taken the course. It so happened that the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) course he took in 2014 had undergone a complete revision to be consistent with the new WHMIS regulations introduced in June of 2015.

I referred him to a website, called RenewMyWHMIS for him to get more information. He called me back and was so appreciative. He noticed some of the new symbols on the web site and said he was starting to see those symbols in his workplace but did not know what they meant.

This process of self-discovery that was sparked by a few questions can be a much more powerful way to create a lifelong learner than by telling someone they have to do something. It's like at start of our conversation he was pushing back against the training because he believe it only met someone else's motives. When his attitude shifted and he discovered his own motive he embraced the idea that it was a good idea to "renew my WHMIS" and for his employees to do the same.

I love it when that happens!