The world of work is very much evolving, and with it comes a need to learn. Though you might head into one role with a very clear picture of how you want your career to progress, a few years down the line might result in a need to pivot and try something else. Learning agility is an important practice that can help with this.
LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report found that 91% of Learning and Development (L&D) professionals agree that continuous learning is more important than ever for career success. However, our ability to learn is not the only factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Learning agility plays a key role in how well we process the information we are learning. Let’s explore this crucial skill in further detail.
What is learning agility?
Learning agility might often be thrown in with discussions about the ability to learn, or our cognitive ability. They are similar, and can be included in the same conversations, but they aren’t precisely the same thing.
To be specific, learning agility is our ability to understand and process in formation. When we have a high level of learning agility, we can easily study a new problem and translate its issues into recognizable ideas and processes. Even if we have never encountered a process or a problem before, we should be able to find familiarity in it and apply our existing experiences and knowledge in a way that allows us to tackle it.
Learning agility typically consists of two components:
Flexibility
How easy is it for you to abandon the current method or way of thinking in favor of trying something new? Can you accept that your current way of working might not be the best way to approach the situation? Agile learners need to be flexible so that they can best understand how their problems can be dissected, and to determine that the best way forward might come from a direction you did not expect at all.
Speed
Can you work quickly? Are you decisive? An agile learner is not going to get worked up because their plan didn’t work, or is not the one being pursued. They will quickly be able to adjust their attitudes so they can proceed with the new method. Speed also helps an agile learner digest large quantities of information quickly, often prioritizing and categorizing as they go too.
5 types of learning agility
Just as learning agility is not the same as our inherent ability to learn, so is it not a single all-encompassing concept. Those who can be considered as learning agile individuals may find themselves aligning more with one of these styles of agility over others:
1. Mental agility
Though you might think that this is tied directly to intelligence, it is closer to how you interpret the world rather than what we might traditionally think of as knowledge. Mentally agile people are sponges who want to soak up the world. They are the sorts of people who read the news, listen to podcasts, and are always on the hunt for a new way of thinking.
2. People agility
Those with a high people agility may also demonstrate high emotional intelligence (though the two aren’t necessarily linked). They are the ones who position themselves as the calm in the storm, as the ones who know how to connect people during a conflict. They understand the value of diversity and listening to the perspective of others, especially if in doing so a solution will arise.
3. Change agility
If you are very change agile, you are likely always looking for new ways to try things out. They may often want to try things out through pilot schemes or low-risk ventures before they get rolled out to the wider team. Working with someone who is change agile can feel disruptive, especially if you or other team members are change resistant, but they can create great innovative solutions when given the reins to do so.
4. Results agility
Results agile people pull from their past experiences in new and challenging situations. Don’t we all do that, you might ask? Yes, many of us do use our experiences to inform our decisions when faced with something new. The difference is results agile people can pull from their negative outcomes and power through a new scenario to success—often the first time they do it! If you know someone who seems to be good at everything the first time they try it, they are probably results agile.
5. Self-awareness
Self-awareness is a key component of a learning agile mind because they know their own strengths and weaknesses. They also typically don’t have blind spots. If there is an area they are lacking in, they know to reach out for help or to find someone else to aid them. They are humble enough to know that their own skills and knowledge aren’t always enough to propel them to success, so they seek out new paths and connections that can help them achieve their goals.
How do we build learning agility?
Having a high learning agility is an important skill that can serve us well throughout our careers. Like any other skill, it is something that we need to nurture and improve. Though some people may display a natural talent for it, the reality is that most of us will have to develop it. Let’s take a look at some of the paths you can take to build this key professional skill in a way that best suits you.
Know your strengths
To get to know how your learning agility works best, you first need to get to know yourself. Trying a few learning agility assessments could be a good start for you if you aren’t sure which style would work best for you.
You also need to think about some of your other soft skills. Skills such as resilience, active listening, or collaboration will all harmonize with your efforts to become more learning agile. Remember, these are skills you will continually develop across your entire career. Knowing the strengths you start from will just help you establish how to grow in the future.
Embrace the new
If you want to develop learning agility, you need to start saying yes to things. Only by facing the unknown will you be able to improve. Get involved with more challenges at work, volunteer for projects you’d normally shy away from, and ask to be involved in decisions and conversations that would not usually involve you.
Having a mentor can be a great asset in this situation. Speak to someone higher in the company and ask if you can shadow them for a few days. Seek out situations that will push your limits and help you to evolve.
Learn how you react
In addition to knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you also need to make sure that you know how you react when a challenge comes your way. Even if you prove to be change agile, you still might not encounter issues well.
Knowing what your stress points are and how you react to negative events is incredibly important. We all like to celebrate success, but not everything will always go our way. If you want to grow as a colleague, a leader, and a learning agile person, you need to know how you will react when the going gets tough.
Internalize your experiences
Too many of us will go through a meaningful challenge and then throw it over our shoulders as if it doesn’t matter. Take the time to sit and learn from your experiences. Did you learn new skills, encounter new business strategies, or meet new people? All of these tie together to teach you lessons, but, more often than not, you need to be the one to define the lesson itself.
Ask for feedback from mentors and peers, and don’t be afraid of what they have to say, even if they are very critical of you. Reflect on the actions you have taken and whether or not they served their purpose effectively. Focus on what you could do in the future that could lead to greater positive outcomes when you face new challenges.
Apply your knowledge
Take everything you have learned thus far and apply it to your actions moving forward. Remember, there is no single wrong or right way to go about something. Mentally agile people choose to continuously learn so they can pivot and make sound decisions quickly.
Don’t discount your intuition and try not to overthink. Be confident in your decisions, as well as own your mistakes, when they arise. Treat every scenario as a chance for you to learn something new, and be prepared to keep moving forward no matter what is thrown your way.
Don’t go it alone — let’s learn and grow together
Picking up learning agility can feel complicated and confusing when it really doesn’t have to be. Remember, you are trying to learn how you react in new situations and how you process information. While this is a personal journey, and what might work for one person may not work for the other, there is no reason why you have to do it alone.
Mentors are there to help you through difficult times and to help you hone the skills that you want to develop. Working with the right mentor can give you the confidence you need to pursue new challenges in your career, all while giving you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the future.
MentorcliQ’s #1 mentoring software helps organizations build confident, agile learners by connecting the right people—without the admin headache. Book a demo today to find out more.
