Learning Habits - by Sarah Nicholl

About the Book

Understand how to develop learning habits at individual, team and organizational levels to build a learning culture that drives individual employee and business performance.

Book Synopsis

A learning culture is essential to outperform the competition but how can Learning and Development (L&D) professionals achieve this? What habits do they need to develop in their workforce?

Learning Habits is written by an author with over 20 years' experience using learning science to improve both business and employee outcomes. It explains what habits are necessary for an effective learning culture and how to develop them at individual, team and organizational levels. This book outlines each habit, explains what it is, why it makes a difference and how to measure it as well as providing a framework that can be used to make these habits become routine to ensure the learning sticks.

Each habit is underpinned by behavioural science research and supported by practical advice, real world examples and case studies from global organizations. Learning Habits also includes checklists to track progress, a 'cue, routine, reward, reflect' model to make learning habits core to how the business operates and templates for measurement. This book is essential reading for all L&D practitioners who know that building a learning culture is crucial for individual and business success but don't know where to start.

Review Quotes

"Learning Habits is a great read that is based on sound principles, experience and solid research. I believe that it's a book with no time limit and is a mandatory read for use as a reference tool within our field of workforce learning."-- "Julia Suk, Senior Vice President Enterprise Sales, Hurixdigital"

"Sarah Nicholl is a highly credible thought leader and practitioner in organizational change, and this book is jam packed with practised, repeated and proven steps and processes. I've witnessed the impact of what's shared in this book. Consider this a timeless roadmap for top executives, leaders/managers, and individual contributors."-- "Wendy Nagy, VP, Customer Success, Pluralsight"

"Learning Habits explains how to both consider and crucially, integrate learning habits in the workplace that will help embed learning initiatives and plans into the flow of work. Many leaders and learning practitioners struggle with the myriad of forces that can inhibit growth and development in organisations. Sarah Nicholl's book provides a model and change approach that addresses these challenges, and assists in cultivating a productive learning environment."-- "Glenn Carter, Product Owner, Head of Tech Capability Development"

"An invaluable guide for Learning and Development practitioners who want to build a learning culture in their organizations. Anchored around the famous Habit cycle (Cue, Routine and Reward), the book is packed with valuable practical examples and tips on building learning habits at the individual, team and organization level. It is a must-read for corporate learning professionals - aspiring and experienced - searching for frameworks and tools to build a more holistic approach to learning. Read this book and learn from a true learning practitioner!"-- "Pratima Krishnan, Learning & OD practitioner and Chief Learning Officer, Techcombank, Vietnam"

"Companies are competing at the pace of learning. Learning Habits is an actionable guide from an expert with more than 25 years of experience working with the world's top brands. A must-read for any organization looking to drive business forward."-- "Mariangel Babbel, Director, Brand Marketing at Rev"

"Learning must be an everyday reality for organizations and employees. Sarah's book, Learning Habits, is a powerful message, approach and strategy for creating and supporting learning habits in these changing and challenging times. A must read!"-- "Elliott Masie, Chair, The Learning Collaborative"

"This comprehensive guide is packed with practical tips and techniques to help you master critical learning skills. In today's rapidly changing world, learning is the key to success for individuals, teams and organizations. Sarah Nicholl has done an outstanding job of compiling best practices into a detailed and well-researched resource for anyone responsible for learning. Learning Habits is a corporate learner's manual that provides actionable plans for anyone looking to incorporate the art of learning into their daily routine and foster a culture of learning around them. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, this book is packed with relevant resources. Get a copy and take your learning skills to the next level!"-- "Kevin Mulcahy, co-author, The Future Workplace Experience"

"Want to build a world-class learning culture? Start here. You'll find an ideal guide to the latest research and best practices in organizational learning and performance. But you need more than theory - you need to put it into practice. That's where Sarah Nicholl draws on her extensive experience to provide a practical roadmap: from meetings, reviews and right goals and habits to executive buy-in and the right metrics to measure, Learning Habits has everything you need to succeed."-- "Simon Allardice, Creative Director & Principal Author, Pluralsight"

"Written by a practitioner with clear focus on how to achieve learning habits, this is a well written, engaging book. It makes so much sense, it is a real page turner. The author is right on the money with her assessment of where business is at right now, and where it needs to head. This is the first book I have seen to honestly outline why people like face-to-face courses. We were prepared to put up with online courses during the pandemic but now we are wondering where the benefits of face-to-face are hiding. This book offers hugely useful mnemonics which help the application of a variety of ideas around forming and sustaining habits. This is an important book for any L&D practitioner, OD practitioner, change manager, process consultant or senior leader in business. This book outlines strong arguments for why learning habits create successful businesses, and how you can engender such habits in your corporate organization. A must read!"-- "Michelle Parry-Slater, Director, Kairos Modern Learning"

About the Author

Sarah Nicholl is a Corporate Learning Strategist with more than 20 years' experience leading learning transformation programmes. She specialises in behavioural science-based materials to scale effective learning in organizations to drive business results. Based in Toronto, Canada, Sarah Nicholl is currently a Senior Customer Success Strategist at Pluralsight where she works with global clients to use learning science to improve internal and external business outcomes. Prior to this she was the Customer Success Director of Corporate Learning at D2L and the Strategic Programme Manager at Skillsoft.