Professional Development Is an Investment You Can't Afford to Skip

Previously, I did a Facebook like on professional development.  If you missed it, you can see it here.  By the way, if you aren't a part of my Facebook Community where the conversation and sharing are very real, click here to visit and like the page.  I spoke about the criticality of investing in oneself.  As an entrepreneur, I did what companies sometimes do. And that is . . . minimized the value of the company's training budget.  The message sent to employees when that happens is that they're not worth the investment.  It took me 3 years in business to figure out I was skimping on my training investment dollars. Once the veil was listed, I vowed to no longer make that mistake again.

And that is what I want to encourage you all to do.  It doesn't matter if you aren't an entrepreneur or if your company is saying "we just don't have the training dollars to send you to that conference".  You are beautifully resourceful and the message you must send back to your brain is that you're worth the investment.  In the days of talent wars and a plethora of people unemployed, you must invest in keeping your capabilities sharp and ready for unplanned changes.  To be competitive, I as an entrepreneur must invest where I see gaps and opportunities for me to flourish.

I want you to do the same.  Here are some tips that I mentioned to get you the training you need.

Honesty is the best policy

First, I want you to do your very own state of the union and honest to goodness talk with yourself.  The questions you want to answer are what are you doing well and what do you need help on.  If you don't know the answer to those questions, ask a trusted source for some input.  You could even look at your LinkedIn endorsed skills to gain some insights from where others see you. 

Hold up the Magnifying Glass

Second, once you know where your gaps or opportunities (I am not a fan of the word weaknesses) are, make a list and identify sources where you can build up that area.  Is it internal or external training that's needed? Is it a mentor or sponsorship support that's needed? Is it something you can learn by leveraging books, audio, online courses.  Conferences/Classes are great because they get you out of your comfort zone.   You basically saying I need some help and that's why I'm here and it's great because others are there for the same reason.  When I went to the National Speaker's Association Brand Lab a few months ago, I was nervous to share my website.  I knew it needed work but it felt like one of my children because I created it myself. The point is that I took the leap to uncover additional learning to help me achieve my goals and I'm guessing you too are in favor of growth or you wouldn't still be reading this.