Years back at Stories of Asia (SOA), we were facing a big challenge – most of our people were inexperienced and lacked the skills we needed to get the job done. It was frustrating for the employees because they want to grow but felt limited.
We knew we had to do something to overcome that.
The solution? We decided to build a strong culture of learning.
My colleagues were telling me that they didn’t need to attend expensive courses. What they needed was more time to learn from online sources.
Hence, we started by setting aside 1-hour per week for each employees to pick up a new skill. This could range from mental health topics to design skills. Whatever they feel may help them at work or make them a better professional.
We also have monthly sharing sessions where employees can share what they have learned with the rest of the company. This way, we can all learn from each other and continue to grow as professionals. The cross-pollination of ideas was simply amazing as it led to so many new ideas and initiatives.
It took a while, but eventually our efforts paid off. Our employer branding agency team became more skilled and knowledgeable, and they were able to take on more responsibility. And because they had taken the time to learn new things, they were able to contribute more effectively when it came time to solve problems or come up with new ideas.
Recently, we even expanded the program to running leadership masterclasses. Each leader will take turns to run a masterclass per month. For instance, I led a personal branding workshop to impart the necessary knowledge to help my team communicate they values more effectively on LinkedIn.
The aim of these workshops is to help build up the next generation of leaders within our company. We want to create an environment where everyone feels like they can contribute and have a voice.
Leadership development is so important, and it’s something that I’m really passionate about. I truly believe that if we invest in our people, they will pay it forward by doing great work for our clients and customers.
Building a culture of learning was one of the best things we ever did at SOA. It helped us overcome our biggest challenge and made our team stronger and more capable in the long run.
The side benefit? Our employer brand became stronger too.
This post was co-created with our Chief Content Officer, Kob-i from StoryBuddy. 
