Always Keep Learning

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Always Keep Learning

The willingness to improve yourself year after year is critical to continuous success and client retention.

WALT GRASSL

Many talented people feel that they do not have anything new to learn in their chosen field. They believe what got them there is enough.

Those who are determined and who work hard often spend a lot of time and effort trying to learn new skills and maintain existing ones. They often display the most current knowledge of new technology and ideas. Having employees who will improve themselves over and above the company-sponsored training is critical to an organization wanting to innovate and improve.

Eleven years ago, Ben got a job working in the mail room at a local business during the summer before starting college. The company had been in existence for over 60 years and was currently being led by Jack—a long-time employee and company legend who started in the mailroom. Three weeks into the job, on his way from the basement to the top floor, the elevator stopped and who should enter the elevator, but Jack. Jack smiled at Ben and introduced himself and mentioned that he started out in the mail room. Ben was a little star struck, but as they both exited the elevator, Ben asked if Jack had any advice for him.

"Never stop educating yourself," Jack said. "In fact, come into my office and let me elaborate. I have 15 minutes before my next meeting." 

Jack proceeded to share these five reasons for educating yourself: 

1. You are responsible for your education. You alone are responsible for your education. Whether or not it makes sense to invest in a formal education, there are free and for-fee learning opportunities available to everyone. The public library and the Internet are two examples. 

Another invaluable source of education is through people. Spend time with people who can do things that you can’t. It may mean volunteering to stay late to observe someone, going to lunch with more experienced associates or finding a mentor. 

You can also learn by taking on challenging assignments that are above your skill level. Discuss the help you will need to be successful with your superiors and the company leadership may reward your initiative by providing an experienced staff member to oversee your on-the-job training.

It’s up to you to enhance your education outside school. It’s up to you to make friends with people who are more successful than you are. Respectfully, get rid of your chip-dippin’, TV-watchin’, happy-with-my-life, don’t-wanna-do-anything-else friends. They won’t help you. Instead, surround yourself with people who are more successful than you are.

2. There are no entitlements. Time in service should be no guarantee of advancement in a successful business. It is what one learns with his experience that determines the value of the time he has put in. In other words, if you merely put in your time, you are guaranteed nothing. 

As your time with the company grows, seek lateral transfers or increased responsibility without necessarily a corresponding increase in title or pay. Realize that you are making yourself more valuable to your employer and view the stretch assignments as an investment.

3. Don’t rest on your laurels. Many talented people feel that they do not have anything new to learn in their chosen field. They believe what got them there is enough. So they become complacent, decide they don’t need to put in more effort, and stop striving for success. 

When you reach a goal, celebrate your success, but identify your next goal and begin to take action. When you stop moving forward and rest on your laurels, you are falling behind others who continue to move forward. 

4. Stay current. Likewise, you need to stay current on industry trends by reading industry literature and blogs. If you are moving into management, read leadership books and blogs. The workplace is constantly changing. You have the choice to be aware of and lead the change, try to catch up, or resist the change. Joining industry and trade associations is another way to learn about current trends.

5. Learn to work with different generations. A big issue in many industries is getting several generations to work well together. Each generation has different learning and working styles. You have several options to handle this reality. The first is to do nothing, since it’s your fellow employee’s responsibility to get with the program. You can leave it to your company’s leadership to implement a program to fix the problem. The best choice is to learn about the differences between generations, the issues these differences bring to the workplace, and what others are doing to address these issues. 

Ben took Jack’s advice to heart. After graduating from college, he got a job with another company in another field. His education did not stop when he left school, though. He subscribes to industry and management blogs, has joined his industry association, seeks out challenging assignments, and develops relationships with other successful employees at his company.

He has been identified by his management as a high-potential employee and is one of the youngest employees at his level. Ben’s future is bright. It’s amazing what a chance encounter in an elevator can do!

Walt Grassl is a speaker, author and performer. He hosts the radio show, "Stand Up and Speak Up," on the RockStar Worldwide network. Walt has performed standup comedy at the Hollywood Improv and the Flamingo in Las Vegas and is studying improv at the Groundlings School in Hollywood.