Small steps, big shifts: The power of Learning Loops

When stats and stories get out of synch, we look for the reason.

65% of employees want more feedback.

77% of employees are not engaged.

75% of employees say their managers are ineffective.

And yet… Senior leaders who hear about Powrsuit often say, “I’ve learned it all before”.

We know it. Most of what we cover at Powrsuit is self-leadership fundamentals – the skills required to optimise your performance and effectiveness at work (without a side of burnout). It’s not rocket science; just pragmatic tools and actions that you can immediately apply to your own career.

But if these fundamentals are so thoroughly understood, then why do the stats paint such a dire picture of employee experience? We think the answer lies in the learning loop. 

A compliment, not a criticism

Most of the ‘I’ve learned it all before’ feedback is actually from people who love Powrsuit. We count executives, CEOs and successful founders among our most ardent fans – the words ‘life changing’ were recently used by one of them to describe her $504 membership. 

This group openly admit that they know what they should be doing, but a combination of time, energy and conflicting priorities means that even the most well-intentioned find themselves swapping best practices with shortcuts.

Learning and acting aren’t the same

Here’s the thing about knowledge: we can collect as much of it as we like, but it won’t make any difference unless we apply it. Not just once, but regularly.

That’s why professional development often falls short. Intensive in-person sessions require people to step out of their lives, learn a bunch of concepts, then go back into an unchanged environment. The great value created quickly dissipates as work, life, and pressing priorities get in the way. While everyone can hand-on-heart say they know what to do… Very few get around to actually doing it.

That’s why we’ve designed Powrsuit to be delivered via small, bite-sized nudges instead of big, comprehensive frameworks:

But small nudges only go so far…

But there’s another trick to impactful education, and that trick is not to stop at the learning. 

Behavioural scientists understand a few things about human quirks. One is that our motivation levels start high, then quickly drop off a cliff – that’s why your New Year’s Resolutions are probably a distant memory by now. But we can trick our brains by showing them visible progress.

Anyone who’s read Atomic Habits knows that regular tweaks are often far more impactful than changing everything at once. It’s why Nat restarted her exercise regime with 10-minute daily walks, and why Kristen is off chasing the surf this week. Habits lead to improvements, which are catnip for motivation. 

The problem when applying this science is that it often takes so long to see change that we give up. That’s where the learning loop comes in:

Applying learning loops to your life

Learning loops create a positive spiral, delivering visible progress that motivates us to take that next step:

1. Learn
Learn big concepts in bite-sized pieces.

2. Act
Complete a tiny action that turns theory into practice.

3. Reflect
See an immediate change in stress, performance, mindset or perceptions. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what your next small step needs to be

Learning loops can be applied to almost everything we want to achieve in life, from launching a company to growing our networks. They work exceptionally well for upskilling. Why? Well, remember those stats from the top of this article? Learning loops interrupt habits, enabling us to test new approaches quickly and build habits from the things that work.

Instead of putting feedback in the ‘too hard, I’ll do it next week’ basket, we send a quick celebratory note.

Instead of rushing into our one-on-ones, we take 5 minutes beforehand to prepare.  

Instead of assuming what we’re doing works, we ask people to share one thing we could do better.

Instead of waiting for a perfect time to enact all the things we know we should do, we take step-by-step action to create more productive, more meaningful workplaces.