Learning while working
When having dedicated time for improvement is impossible, how can we continuously improve?
“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.”
— John Dewey
After having two children, finding dedicated time to practice has become a luxury. Since then, I have embraced the notion of learning on the job, effectively hitting two birds with one stone—or is it just an excuse? To be honest, I didn’t have a concrete strategy for how to learn on the job. I always thought that over time, doing my job would make me better. Well, that is a mistake. According to Professor K. Anders Ericsson, merely doing our job over time won’t necessarily make us better; even our skills can deteriorate.
So how can we effectively learn at work?
In 1969, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy experienced a decline in effectiveness, evidenced by a lower-than-expected kill ratio compared to previous conflicts. For every two North Vietnamese aircraft shot down, the U.S. lost one aircraft, a ratio of about 2:1. To address this, the Navy initiated a training program to enhance its pilots’ skills. Named ‘Top Gun,’ this program indeed inspired the movies starring Tom Cruise.
The program was carefully crafted to equip individuals with the skills to make pivotal decisions in high-pressure situations and confidently navigate high-stakes environments. By the end of the war, the U.S. Navy’s kill ratio had improved to around 12:1, a significant increase and a clear indication of the effectiveness of the enhanced training.
What’s particularly interesting about Top Gun is the after-action reports. After training sessions and landing, pilots meet their trainers to reflect on their experiences through questions like,
“What did you observe during your flight
“What decisions did you make?”
“Why did you choose those actions?”
“Did you notice any mistakes?”
“What could you have done differently?”
When necessary, they also review footage from the training flights. These sessions allow trainers to offer constructive feedback, which pilots can apply in the next sessions.
Over time, Top Gun pilots began to internalize these questions, finding self-assessment more comfortable than receiving direct feedback from trainers. Post-training reflections and the lessons learned proved effective in enhancing performance and decision-making in future sessions.
Professor K. Anders Ericsson used that example to illustrate how we can learn from our experiences at work through self-reflection. This echoes Peter C. Brown’s statement that the difference between those who learn at work and those who don’t lies in cultivating reflective habits.
Every day at work brings new experiences, presenting continuous learning opportunities, which we can tap into through reflection. As John Dewey once said, "We do not learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience.”
How to put this advice into action
Regularly set aside time to contemplate your experiences at work. Use the following prompts as a guide:
What happened?
What did I do? Why did I choose those actions?
What decisions did I make?
Did I notice any mistakes?
What could I have done differently?
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