We’ve seen a lot of discussions, webinars, podcasts, and so on around this question: how can organizations stimulate their employees and develop the best skills from a distance?
Meanwhile, the pandemic has shifted the center of employee attention away from work, driving phenomena, such as the Great Resignation. Around 65% of employees say those past 2 years have made them rethink the role that work should have in their lives. Employers desperately need to invest in retaining and growing their talent. Better analytics and insights (and more accountable ROI) are important for HR departments to unlock more learning and development budgets and power up employee and team skills.
And all Talents need to keep on staying ahead of the curve with their market and their job, to say relevant in a fast-growing environment.
Traditionally, large parts of corporate learning and development budgets are wasted on solutions that are not being used by employees and therefore have limited (up to no impact) on the efficiency and happiness of the workforce (Forbes). It is said that companies spend on average 1.300 dollars per year and per employee.
HR clients pay increasing attention to ROI and measurable success when purchasing learning and development solutions. The problem is that when employees get a certification or pass an exam, they don’t necessarily build upon what they’ve just learned.
They say “knowledge is power”, but how does it translate in real life? Whether it be in life, in self, in one’s career, or in any other sphere of one’s existence, begins with education. If one does not know better, he cannot do better. Therefore, the person who has decided to invest in continuous learning will always be ahead of the one who seized to upskill.
Henry Ford said, “anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty”. Learning is certainly a prerequisite for growth and the catalyst for positive change, which is why we should never stop but instead see it as an opportunity to learn in the long run. This is what we called a lifelong learning journey.
Learning is not (only) confined to formal mediums of education such as university courses or short courses and certifications, for example. It also extends across informal mediums which offer valuable information that can assist you in various aspects of your life or career. These mediums include informative articles, webinars, conferences, and podcasts written/realized by reputable sources and field experts.
Here are some of the benefits of consistently nurturing your potential through investing in lifelong learning. It can be tough to break bad habits - i.e learning as you go, “when you have the time”, but it will be worth everyone’s while. Companies’ time and Talents’ time!
Become a leader in your field and stay ahead of the competition
By making the choice to consistently brush up on your knowledge of your industry, you’ll find yourself in a better situation than your competition. Keeping ahead of industry advancements, understanding new techniques, or studying competitors’ strategies, will give you the ability to make sound decisions within your role.
Those who fail to enhance their skills and their knowledge will quickly find themselves falling behind – especially in a world where one’s value in the workplace is often measured by how much they know, how current their skills are, and whether or not they are able to adjust and remain versatile in the modern business environment. Basically, if you’re not an expert, some companies might hire someone else who will be.
Enhance your profile on the market
Making learning a lifelong commitment will give you leverage over your competition, giving you a better chance of swiftly scaling the corporate ladder. As previously mentioned, those who know more can do more.
Those who are well-informed are able to make better decisions, are able to successfully implement modern (sometimes surprising) strategies and techniques; and offer fresh new ideas based on their newly acquired knowledge and expertise. Employers are looking for individuals who show agility in various areas within their role and will invest in individuals who are likely to drive the business forward.
Self-confidence booster
Self-confidence is one of the main ingredients for success. Those who aren’t confident in their abilities usually end up self-sabotaging without even realizing it (we all did it at some point in our careers). But this could be avoided if Talents keep improving and upskilling in the long run. Improving your expertise and skills will give you the self-confidence you need to progress through life, as well as in your career - as in feeling confident in what you have to offer.
Make better decisions in the workplace
It’s a no-brainer that through gaining a better understanding of the intricacies that come with performing your role you’ll be able to make smarter business decisions. This is exactly why they say knowledge is power. It gives you the tools you need to make decisions that are in the best interest of your objective.
Become an expert
People look up to those who can teach them something. This is partly due to the person’s charismatic confidence in their abilities, but also largely due to the fact that they’re inspiring pioneers. By constantly feeding yourself and staying on top of the market and latest trends, you will inspire people to follow your advice. Companies also value those experts as they can benefit their reputation on the market.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to make the choice to invest in your abilities and feed/nurture your potential.
Now the important part is to decide how to get to that place.
What do you think is the best method to stay ahead of the game and upskill to become the market expert you want to be.
