A Lifelong Learning Organization aligns the company's investment in employee, customer, and supplier side learning and development to its strategic goals.

Companies that invest in learning & development create a more engaged workforce and attract talented employees. A recent global survey conducted by PwC entitled Managing Tomorrow's People polled 4,271 recent college hires in 2009 and found that, besides salary, a company's investment in learning and development was the next most important benefit in considering various employment possibilities.

The creation of a Lifelong Learning Organization starts with active involvement and engagement of the CEO. Thus, it is important for heads of Human Resources and Learning to encourage CEOs to become involved and supportive of the investment in learning. CEOs who are actively involved in building a learning organization exhibit seven characteristics:

• CEO as Visionary: Presents a clear direction (with input from HR and Corporate Learning) around which the organization can rally;
• CEO as Sponsor: Provides resources, budget and commitment for investment in learning to achieve business results;
• CEO as Governor: Takes an active role in reviewing the governance of corporate learning, goals, objectives, and provides direction on how to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning investment;
• CEO as Subject Matter Expert: Actively takes on the role of thought leader and provides suggestions for new competencies needed to achieve business goals;
• CEO as Teacher: Voice of CEO is heard both in on-site learning programs as well as in video, and online training programs;
• CEO as Learner: Is a role model for lifelong learning for the entire organization and acknowledges the importance of continuous learning;
• CEO as Chief Marketing Agent: Promotes the organization's commitment to learning in speeches, reports, security analyst meetings, and in web messages;

In addition, senior executives within the organization must be viewed as:

• Coaches who help develop people, improve performance and eliminate obstacles;
• Participants of learning and development; and
• Active and knowledgeable leaders who understand the importance of learning and development as a strategic lever to achieve business goals.

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