Do You See Yourself as a Learning EnVisioneer?

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learning envisioneer | Alan Malinchak

Welcome to “Learning STRATactically”, a monthly column aligned to learning and human resource professionals who focus on the strategic and act on the tactical – providing thought leadership for sharing, reflecting and discussing as life-long learners.

Last month at HR IQ, our article addressed “Understanding the Business Impact of eLearning/Distance Learning to an Organization’s Net Operating Profit,” asking our readers to Lead by Example and exemplify behavior they want to see or develop in others.  Today, we are asking, “Do you see yourself as a Learning EnVisioneer?” 

History is filled with examples of those with strategic vision that were unable to execute. Conversely, many teams with excellent technical skills have been doomed by a lack of leadership and vision.  Vision and execution are not mutually exclusive. You must have both vision and the ability to act upon it.  In a learning environment, we call this person a Learning EnVisioneer.

A Learning EnVisioneer is a visionary as well as an engineer who casts vision, develops actionable steps to achieve the vision and executes the plan.

Vision relies on the right side of our brain, where we can be imaginative and consider several paths to formulating a strategy; while putting plans into action uses the left side of our brain, where we engage very practical, detail-oriented qualities in the execution of our strategy.  EnVisioneering is the synergy of engineering a vision by applying actionable behaviors to strategic thinking.  Critical thinking skills play a key role.  As Learning EnVisioneers, we must strike a balance between formulating a grand vision of learning programs and needs for an organization’s future and determining what can be practically executed to achieve that vision within current and anticipated resource constraints, both financial and human.

EnVisioneers are everywhere – successful entrepreneurs, creators of new lines of business, products and services, e.g., Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook; founders of Google, Groupon and Kwaff (a new company under development where the founders had the vision of a location-based platform that communicates with nightlife venues to create a network allowing people to search, navigate and connect with others based on similar interests)-- learned where others had failed and developed actionable tasks to execute their vision. 

Anyone can be an EnVisioneer.  But how can you be a “Learning EnVisioneer?"

At our fingertips are new learning technologies, methodologies and a knowledge base that is exponential.  Dick Davies, a serial entrepreneur  has suggested that now more important than ever before - learning and the value of learning is different than even ten years ago.  As facts have become ever-available, learning has gone from mastering facts to using facts to achieve results. Learning time has compressed from decades and years to ten minute bursts popularized by the Khan Academy for everything from addition and subtraction to nuclear physics. Learning has gone from "Ready, Aim, Fire!"  to, "Fire, Fire, Fire, and Fire!” and the Learning EnVisioneer should be at the front directing that fire to the target.

What are the qualities needed to succeed as a Learning EnVisioneer? In an article by Leslie Fieger titled Envisioneering, he states that EnVisioneers are idealists who can see with their eyes closed, rely upon the infinite, their imagination, believe in the “possible” create, then build, then move on to create and build again and again.  A Learning EnVisioneer must not only possess the same traits as outlined by Leslie Fieger, but also be resilient, knowledgeable, creative, engaging and focused on collaboration to execute on their vision related to the future of learning.

A Learning EnVisioneer lives in reality and embraces the future of learning by moving the vision ahead of schedule, for example, those that provide thought leadership through presentations of ideas worth spreading on TED.com.  They use their knowledge and networked connections to reach out to others to develop themselves personally and professionally – always looking ahead, and noting best practices and lessons learned from the past.  They are life-long learners who can apply what they know and learn what they don’t know by asking those around them – on the job, formal educators, in the classroom, informally through social networks, from peers, superiors and subordinates and through self-study – and share their vision with all of us.

Learning EnVisioneers are not satisfied to remain within the status quo, rather, they search the present to create a new future, e.g., “How Can We Use Our Corporate University Structure to Generate Revenue and/or Become a Cost Neutral Operation to our organization?”

We encourage your comments and reactions, and yes, next month, we will discuss Corporate Universities as Revenue Generation/Cost Neutral Operations – turning the expense of learning into profit for your organization and results for your customer. 

Alan A. Malinchak is the Chief Learning Officer at Homeland Security Solutions, Inc. (HSSI). Malinchak can be reached at malinchaka@homelandsecurityinc.com, or contact him through LinkedIn.

Contributor:   Alan A. Malinchak

Alan A. Malinchak isthe Chief Learning Officer at Homeland Security Solutions, Inc. (HSSI) and capture/business development executive for eLearning training programs and initiatives. Al has over 35 years of professional experience in the government (FBI Retired), industry, academics and a U.S. Navy Veteran (DAV).  Al recently received the 2011 Learning Elite Award and has four Gold Division 1, “Learning in Practice Awards” from Chief Learning Officer Magazine: in 2009 for a Learning Team which established horizontal relationships across business units; in 2008 for Business Impact resulting from eLearning initiatives having a significant impact on profit/loss and business operations; in 2007 for Leadership as a learning industry thought leader; and, in 2006 for Achievement Impact based on e-Learning design, development and accomplishments. Al can be reached at malinchaka@homelandsecurityinc.comor contact him through LinkedIn.

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