LearningCog Turns 10

Ten years ago, when I founded LearningCog, my intention was to earn a living doing what I love the most; helping people to learn more about themselves and reach their full potential through learning, training and development. I never expected that 10 years later I would have built a global business that has supported so many clients and individuals.

Setting up LearningCog I made a promise to myself to keep my passion first and foremost in everything I do. Back then I got first-hand experience of what it takes to run a business, on my own, and what happens when you challenge yourself and are pushed out of your comfort zone.

The first client I worked with saw me travelling around Asia for nine months delivering a Leadership and Management Development programme to 350 people across 9 different countries. Being out my comfort zone was an understatement! But through the success of this initial client, we have continued as a business to build on the success of this programme.

The biggest thing I recognised from my career, and from the travelling across different cultures is that people have far more potential than they think they have. I include myself in that statement too. I recognised that I have so more in me and so much more to give. The commitment I made then is the same as the commitment I make now; support people with anything that is holding them back. Allow them to understand how they can be even greater than they already are.

From years of working with individuals and organisations my view has always been the same, people are inherently good. No one ever has the intention to be bad, or horrible. Many problems that individuals and organisations face, stem from fear which leads to a lack of trust, lack of skills and knowledge and no authenticity. Some people can come across as being arrogant, or withdrawn, or incompetent when they do not access the right skills and knowledge to be able to be their authentic self.

Early on we recognised how technology can support the learning experience. In 2014 we designed, with the help of some great web developers, our very own 360-degree review platform, www.my360goals.com. Back then we were designing a platform that did the things we wanted it to do for our clients. We created a platform that enabled people to learn about themselves and to make informed decisions about changes they could make. Now, My360Goals is a global platform used by individuals, organisations and other training providers to support self-awareness.

In 2017, after years of research we designed the LearningCog Building Trust Model. This was born out of seeing so many people looking at what was wrong in their business and not quite being able to explain what can be done about. We now run Trust workshops for teams and whole organisations. Since then, we have also designed the Trust360, a 360-degree feedback report supporting understanding an individual’s trust from multiple viewpoints.

Insights Discovery has, and always will be, at the core of the work we do. In the 14 years that I have been working with the internationally recognised psychometric tool, it has been amazing to see the level of change and understanding peoples take away. Originally, we worked with small teams and groups on various Management and Leadership programmes. Now, we keep on doing those great things and work with organisations to develop highly engaged teams that work with and support each other. Many people reading this will remember attending an Insights Discovery programme with LearningCog and the life-long learning that they took away. I often speak with people who were on workshops 10 years ago who still use the Insights model in everything they do.

We have been privileged to work with more and more clients who have encouraged us to grow and push the boundaries of people and development. We are driven forward by our passion to support organisations to reach their true potential, improving their performance, engagement and profitability.

Looking to the future – we have exciting plans. We have recently launched a new offering Pitch Community www.pitch.community to help support sole traders, small and medium business to grow and build much needed skills to bounce back from the current pandemic.

We are designing our own Digital Learning platform. We are taking a unique approach to support learning and development for everyone.

During the last 10 years we have worked with so many clients from a variety of industries. We have employed and worked with some of the most talented people in Learning and Development, many of whom have stayed in contact with us or are still working with us. We have met thousands of learners along the way, and the ongoing feedback we get has been great. I want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved in LearningCog’s journey for the last 10 years and hope you stick around for the next 10.

10 years ago, I would not have anticipated celebrating our anniversary in this way. No party, no dancing, no hugs (most people know I’m a hugger). We are currently in a time where self-understanding, change, development, authenticity and agility are the key ingredients to help ourselves, our society, and organisations grow again. Now more than ever the support LearningCog offers has become so important.

Our first 10 years has been an amazing rollercoaster. We take a step forward in 2021 with exciting plans and look to the future – proud and confident.

If you have been involved in our journey so far, please get back in touch. We love to hear from past learners and want to tell your story as part of our success.

If you would like to leave us a review, you can do so on our page.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, we have decided to tell our 10-year story with various additional pieces that you will find alongside this. I hope you enjoy finding out about them. Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more.

Ric Hayden, LearningCog’s Founder and Managing Director.