In the rush of our daily lives, learning may take a back seat. We may find ourselves clocking in and out every day with the sole focus of cruising through our to-do list and meeting our deadlines. We may measure our success by the KPIs we achieved, the projects we launched in record time and how many points we crossed off our to-do list. In this often tunnel-visioned approach, we risk losing sight of one of the most important things: How much has that contributed to our intellectual growth? Are we one step ahead in our personal and professional development?
At the heart of this lies the basic question: Why do we work?
Is it to pay the bills? To support our family? To support our lifestyle? To actualise our dreams? Or is it more than that? The desire to grow as an individual or professional can easily get sidetracked by other, seemingly more pressing priorities. We may settle for monotony as long as it pays the bills or fulfills our other basic objectives. In doing so, we may be limiting ourselves.
Making an active effort to learn, adapt and grow is essential, specially in this fast-paced world where technology and business practices are evolving ever so rapidly. If not for intellectual growth and personal satisfaction, it can at least be worth pursuing for professional development. Corporate trainings, voluntary courses taken during free time and industry conferences are only some of the ways you can brush up your knowledge. Even if you take out five to 10 minutes every day to read the news, scan through a business journal or listen to an e-book, there is a lot you can learn. In this social media age, you may not even have to make the effort to visit a news site to stay abreast of current affairs. The latest news and trending stories magically appear on your social feeds when they are shared or recommended by your peers, giving you an opportunity to stay up to date.
Seeking knowledge about current affairs and industry trends can go a long way in both forward planning and career development. Once you’re aware of what’s going on in the market, you can make informed decisions and offer valuable suggestions to your organisation based on market insights. For example, a new store opening could turn out be a potential marketing or sales opportunity for the business. A new project management tool could help address organisational needs more effectively and cost-efficiently. An upcoming economic policy in serviced markets could have potential ripple effects on business operations. Being aware of such developments and staying on top of them can make you an asset to your organisation.
Learning a new skill every now and then can also be fruitful, and it doesn’t have to be limited to your field. You can try picking up skills from different departments in your organisation, whether it is learning how to code from the engineering team or how to make the ultimate sales pitch from the sales team. Aside from expanding your skillset in an age where specialising in one area may no longer be sufficient, it can help you challenge assumptions and understand various perspectives. It can also give you a better understanding of the bigger picture and how everything fits in the grand scheme of things, which can be valuable when you move into a leadership position.
This concept of constant learning prepares you for different challenges and opens your world to new possibilities. Studies have also linked life-long learning to employability, well-being and confidence.
Why not embark on this journey to boost your personal and professional success? You can start by tracking how much you’ve learned each day or setting a goal of learning something new every day, even if it is small.