Know how you learn and keep growing

The coronavirus crisis is new for everyone. That raises many questions. Am I taking enough precautions? How long will this last? Will I still have my job? In such an uncertain time it is logical that we fall back on our preferred behaviour. That is our comfort zone. And it feels familiar and safe.

Step out of your comfort zone

But we also know that staying exclusively in your comfort zone yields little progress. Because learning new things and developing yourself largely takes place outside it. And in these turbulent times, standing still is very much a step backwards. The more often you step outside your comfort zone, the easier it becomes. You then develop more flexibility and discover how best to approach different situations. That puts you in the best position to grow and to get the most out of yourself.

How do you learn?

To reach that goal it is important to know what your preferred way of learning is. You then know what you need in order to take the next step in your personal development, and you can deal more easily with the world we live in now. 

Kolb's theory

To gain insight into your specific learning style we use the theory of the American psychologist Kolb. He states that learning is a continuous process in which what you learn is shaped by the experiences you have gained. In addition there are different preferences for learning. There is a preference based on observing others, a preference based on logical thinking, a preference based on doing things yourself and a preference based on feeling and intuition.

From choosing unconsciously to choosing consciously

Something else that is important to know: people usually choose a particular approach to learning unconsciously. By being aware of your own preferred style, you are also able to choose other learning styles. Because sometimes there is no time to think about something at length and acting immediately is necessary. And often there is nobody around whom you can observe when you want to try something new.

Learning with the seven MyDrives colours and drivers

Each of the seven MyDrives colours and drivers gives a different shape to someone's personal need in order to learn to the full. 

• ’Turquoise’ people want to make interdisciplinary connections and work on genuinely important subjects.
• ’Yellow’ people want to discover new things and learn at moments that suit them.
• ‘Green’ people want to learn together, consult and share knowledge with each other.
• ’Orange’ people want practical applications and tools, preferably based on real cases.
• ’Blue’ people want a detailed underpinning of facts and a structured approach.
• ’Red’ people want to learn practically through training on the job and immediate feedback.
• ’Purple’ people want to get going together with the team under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

Do you have insight into your preferred learning style and do you know what your drivers want? Then you are ideally placed to consciously take the step outside your comfort zone and to keep growing, so as to become the best version of yourself. 

Fedra van der Kroon (noorK coaching en advies) and Marc Stijfs (MyDrives MyHabits MyMatch) produced this blog article together.

Since 2019 Fedra van der Kroon has supported small and medium-sized businesses with coaching, advice and both individual and team training. Collaboration, communication, leadership and self-insight are the main subjects in this work. Fedra has extensive expertise regarding people in working situations and was HR manager at various companies. She studied psychology and personnel and labour at university and obtained a master's degree as an NLP coach.