When is the last time you invested in professional development for yourself?

Think about it. Six months ago? A year ago? Can’t remember the last time you learned from an expert in your field?

We have a responsibility as leaders to ensure our teams grow and learn new things to better serve our clients, customers, and community, but we usually put ourselves last on the list for professional development.

I’m pretty sure in my ten years of working for different organizations, I only attended two professional development seminars. That means I only learned something new, from someone outside my organization, once every five years.

That’s. Not. Enough.

Professional development is an investment into the future of your organization. It gets you out of the daily grind, stimulates new thoughts, and spurs growth and innovation into the business. Development offers you a competitive advantage in the marketplace and elevates your team.

In other words, there’s no reason NOT to get yourself learning!

Here’s how to bring new insights, ideas, and growth to your organization:

• Allocate funds! Set aside money in the budget for professional development and hold yourself accountable. You don’t need a treasure chest of golden coins to invest in yourself – allocate a few thousand (or maybe just a few hundred) bucks for you and you alone.
• Make it easy! You don’t have to travel across the country and spend thousands to learn something new. Udemy, Coursera, and Creative Live are just a few examples of online platforms filled with literally hundreds of courses on almost any topic imaginable. Budget friendly AND can be completed in your pajamas on your couch. Win. Win.
• Pick what’s most useful! Choose a course or experience that addresses your biggest current challenge because you will walk away with the most value. Maybe you’re struggling to accurately share your story with your people or you need help with time management. Choose a course that specifically targets that area so you can achieve HUGE wins.

As for me? I’m learning how to better connect with my audience and tell the story of how we can help purpose-driven leaders through the StoryBrand method. This numbers gal struggles big time with marketing! My brain only works in spreadsheets, I guess.

#leadership #development