Do you feel inspired in certain environments? Stifled and stressed in others? It’s not just your imagination. There are scientific studies that explain why most people hate working in cubicles, or why we’re better at conceptual thinking when we’re in rooms with high ceilings.

In his TEDx Talk, Designing a Better Future, architect Scott Wyatt explores the power of design and how it shapes the way we think and perform. He’s now applying what he’s learned to create elegant, functional floor plans and building arrangements that are designed for the way work gets done today. “Generative” buildings, for example, encourage collaboration, creativity and chance meetings with people you don’t see every day.

Looking toward the challenges of the future, Wyatt reminds us that this is a choice: “We’ll choose to build workplaces that distract, or we’ll choose to build workplaces that motivate.”

But of course, the structure itself is only part of the solution. We have to break down the other barriers that undermine quality thinking and performance. And there seem to be more of those now than ever before. As the world of work changes, your learning and development strategy will have to change, too. The question is, will you wait until the point where you have no other option, or will you take the lead and build that future now?

In a recent post, we talked about why it’s important in today’s world to be a learner, not just a knower. But what does being a learner really look like? Here are some quick mind hacks to keep you learning and growing so you don’t fall behind.

1. Try Something—Anything—New

Brain research shows that novelty boosts memory, enhances learning and even motivates us to seek out new rewards. But you have to be intentional about looking for the new, because the brain naturally discards and filters for what we know, filling in the blanks to be most efficient.

The good news is, there are countless ways you can inject some novelty into your routines. Change up your office. Rearrange the furniture or adjust the lighting. Visit places off your beaten path. Read websites, books and opinions you’d typically ignore. Mix up your “go-to” problem-solving methods. Build on your knowledge with new facts that push the boundaries of what you’ve always known.

Choose behaviors that open you up to a world of fresh sights, sounds and ideas. These are the seeds of learning.

Everyone knows butter is bad for you. Or we used to know. Then new research proclaimed butter is back. But is it out again? Who knows?

From the personal to the large scale, our knowledge of everyday issues continues to evolve, and that pace of change is only picking up. What “everyone knows” today could be obsolete tomorrow.

This is particularly true in business. There’s a reason why the business world has latched onto the US Army War College acronym “VUCA.” What better words could you find to describe today’s business environment than Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous?

It feels good to build up deep knowledge in a certain area. It gives you confidence and comfort, and it can allow you to keep chugging away without having to stop and think. You’re in the groove. Organizations also have many grooves, which become collective pathways that can accelerate getting things done. They can also create inertia and become major roadblocks.

Getting in the groove is easy. Getting stuck in a rut is the danger.

The brain is getting a lot of attention in corporate learning and development circles these days. But the growing interest and discussions about neuroscience and its relevance to learning, along with continued questions about the value of brain training games, can make it difficult to separate the breakthroughs from the myths.

We recently had a chat with Herrmann International’s CEO Ann Herrmann-Nehdi who shared some of her insights about the brain training fad as well as her thoughts about the future of learning.

“How about we all go bungee jumping after today’s session?”

In today’s always-on, always-connected world, learning has no boundaries. It might happen through group discussions on a messaging app like Slack, or via a how-to video on YouTube, or by competing against people from around the world on a gamification app accessed from a smartphone or tablet.

Between mobile devices, social media, MOOCs, real-time messaging apps and more, learners are becoming accustomed to taking control of their own development and choosing the options that appeal to them. Particularly for Millennials and younger generations entering the workforce, this kind of self-directed approach is what they know and what they expect.

But as more employees are looking for ways to personalize and direct their own learning, L&D professionals are struggling with how best to facilitate it. For one thing, the systems have been slow to keep up, so just the thought of tracking and managing personalized learning for a population of any significant size can be overwhelming.

Over the past several years, we’ve heard a lot about what learning and development (L&D) needs to do to earn its “seat at the table” in today’s business environment. As long as it’s viewed primarily as a support (aka cost) function, it will continue to be viewed as a cost to be minimized.

Many of the L&D professionals and consultants we work with are leading the way in what’s known as “high-value L&D.” They don’t look at L&D as a function that provides some training and resources to employees, with a primary goal of checking the box to show that you’ve done it. Instead, they’ve turned L&D into a strategic enabler of the business, one that drives specific and mission-critical business goals. Their focus is, as author Mike Hawkins explains, “on shaping the desired culture, fostering new ways of thinking, developing new behaviors, and driving strategic opportunities.”

This is one of the reasons our global innovation team has been working behind the scenes over the past several months to explore new and different ways in which we can support the high-value L&D objectives of our clients.

Control Z. If you’ve never had the experience of wrangling with correction tape and Liquid Paper, you might not fully realize just how magical that simple keyboard shortcut is. In an instant, you can seamlessly erase your last steps and get a do-over.

“If one more person talks to me about my amygdala, I’ll scream!”

This learner’s reaction isn’t surprising. The last decade has seen a frenzy of neuroscience research, leading to an avalanche of new findings and interest in the field. But along with the exciting new knowledge comes the inevitable hype and distraction. New studies abound that may or may not be practical or relevant in the real world of business. 

And that’s where the rubber really meets the road. Because for all the research, attention and general trendiness of the topic, when it comes to your learners, your workplace, your business and your results, there are only two questions that really matter: Can you use it, and does it deliver what you need?

People always want to know what the most effective leadership style is. If you’re responsible for leadership development, you’ve probably heard or pondered the question. If you’re focused on growing your own skills and career, you’ve likely thought about whether your style fits the model of successful leadership.