Would you call yourself a lifelong learner? The answer is almost certainly yes. And I’m sure if you asked your colleagues and friends, you’d receive a chorus of yeses in response.
Throughout life we continue to acquire skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours through formal and non-formal learning and day-to-day experiences.
But how many of us consciously adopt the habits of a lifelong learner? And why is it so important, now more than ever, to do so?
The magic happens when our recognition of the importance of learning is teamed with the curiosity and adaptability to actually pursue learning and re-learning as part of our professional and personal practice. And to then deploy that learning in new ways.
This is learning agility and it’s critical to the ability of individuals and organisations to thrive in the present and post-Covid-19 world.

Why do we need learning agility today?
Learning agility is often described as "knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do". This capacity to continue to think and act through uncertainty was important even before the Covid-19 crisis. Our research showed that companies with the greatest rates of highly learning agile executives produced 25% higher profit margins compared with peer companies.
In the advent of the pandemic, learning agility has emerged as the critical leadership competency. It’s the key enabler for leaders that hope to grow, pivot, or transform their organisations to remain relevant.
In the current climate, leaders must be constantly scanning their surroundings, not just to see what has changed but to spot new challenges, risks, and opportunities. They also need to identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and capabilities, and act swiftly to close them.
It’s learning agility that not only fuels this relentless curiosity but also what enables leaders to channel it into action within their own organisational context. It also provides the energy to then reset and go on that journey again and again.