By Daniel Newman for Forbes

Recently, we’ve seen upskilling and retraining programs emerge in workforces across the globe. Companies are taking the time to help their employees learn new skills for new positions as new technology emerges. This is great, don’t get me wrong, but I think we need to focus more on continuous learning for all employees. This definitely would work in conjunction with upskilling programs, but as leaders who are trying to drive transformation, the onus is with us to encourage learning across the organization.

When was the last time you went to a leadership development class? Or the last time you did any classes to help learn new skills? If you aren’t doing it, then how can you expect your employees to do? If we don’t encourage our employees to continue to learn, we can’t expect them to continue to handle the weight of the transformation itself. How can we prepare? By encouraging continuous learning for all employees, no matter their position or rank. Let’s take a look at why this is so important.

Most employees see on-the-job education as an extra, something they must do on top of the rest of their work. I know I’ve definitely been to seminars or lectures where I’m just checking the box for some requirement. And I’ll be honest, in those scenarios I rarely paid attention and I rarely learned anything. This is why we need to shift the mindset. Encourage continuous learning by framing it as an opportunity for growth, not a requirement. Shift to this mindset and allow your employees to thrive in a culture focused on education instead. It will take more than encouraging your team to take an online course. In fact, it will take you changing the atmosphere of your organization to focus on education as a priority.

To learn more, read "Want Digital Transformation? Encourage Continuous Learning For All Employees" from Forbes.