5 steps to get your work to support your learning
All good companies say they support training and development. All managers say they want to support your development. And working for a company and a manager that supports your personal learning and development is important not just for your career but importantly and critically for your fulfillment. Studies have shown that for us to be fulfilled, we need to make learning a part of our life.
In the last few weeks, you may have been pondering if you are in the right role or if you should be learning new skills. After all, it is evident that the world is changing and with that change will come a set of new skills that are needed in the workplace. However, now may be the best time to think about how to develop your skills for your current role. How do you continue to do the work more effectively, with greater clarity, adding value and at the same time developing for your future. To gain the support from your work, be it in time or funding, I suggest following these five steps.
1. BE CLEAR
You need to be clear in your own mind what it is you want to develop. What are the skills that you need to be more effective and do your role well so that it is a joy rather than a chore? Ask yourself what it is that would add value to your role and to you. Be clear on what you enjoy about your role and focus on developing that further. A good way to do this is to do a matrix and plot the skills and activities in your role accordingly. Then review if you would enjoy your role more if you were better at X, Y, Z.
2. RESEARCH
Once you have identified what it is you want to develop, it’s time to research what is available. Think about cost, length of commitment (is it one off course, 3 month, 12 months etc), weekly time required from you, type of learning method used (how it fits with your best way to learn), the type of organisation delivering or providing that development (look up the facilitators or educators on LinkedIn), whether certification is provided (if that is important to your organisation) and how to enrol.
3. PREPARE
Like any business case, you need to prepare yours for your organisation to support it. Go through the process 1 & 2 above with your organisation – be open and share your thinking with them. Think about what level of support is needed – is it cost only or also time off? How much internal coaching from your manager will you need as you develop your skills? Prepare pros and cons of you doing the development – what will you gain and what will the organisation gain as a result of you doing it? Could you ask for 50% of the cost if they are not willing to fully fund it? Think of what questions they will have and be prepared to answer them.
4. TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Taking on a new development opportunity needs to be at the right time. Think about the timing to discuss this with your organisation. Are they open to financially supporting you at this time? How is the organisation performing from a financial perspective? What is the best time in the year for you to start the new development? (both for you personally but importantly for the role you do). It is always better to start something new when we have a little bit of flexibility and are less busy on our day to day.
5. SHOW COMMITMENT
Gaining the support from your organisation and your manager requires commitment on your part. Commitment to the role you do, commitment to the organisation by demonstrating that you are willing to do your best, every time and commitment to learning. Once you get your approval, it is critically important that you commit to the learning and you keep your organisation updated on your progress and how it is impacting your role and your performance positively.
Learning and Development is an important part to keeping us fulfilled at work and in life. Whether it is learning a new skill, one to one mentoring or coaching, self learning through an online course, or going to university to finish that degree you started, development supports our growth as individuals. It fuels and keeps us ‘hydrated’ thereby supporting our mental energy.
Being better than you were yesterday in the role you do day to day not only supports your career and aspirations, it generates positivity and confidence, helping you find the freedom to work better.
Written by Evelyn G Jackson, CEO of Find My Meaning.