Have you ever noticed that the greatest minds and highest achievers are committed to ongoing personal and professional development? Absolutely! They know their computers need to be upgraded on a regular basis, and so do they. And they know they can’t rely on yesterday’s knowledge to achieve tomorrow’s victories.
If you want to be one of those high achievers or peak performers, there are six strategies you can implement to put continuing education in the center stage of your life and career.
#1: Increase Your Replacement Value
In the past, your longevity or seniority might have saved you. But traditional definitions of longevity and loyalty no longer apply.
In today’s world, it’s all about replacement value. The more difficult you are to replace, the more money you will tend to make. And the more job security you will tend to enjoy.
That being the case, you must have an answer to each of the following questions.
- What are you doing to increase your value in the marketplace?
- What are doing to demonstrably increase your value to your current employer? Or to your clients and customers?
- What are doing to increase your value to prospective future employers?
- What are you doing to make yourself so valuable that you’re the least likely to be cut or the last to be cut?
If you don’t have all the answers, you immediately will have some ideas as to what kind of continuing education you need to pursue…now.
#2: Stop the Excuses
Stop finding excuses for not upgrading yourself, not learning more, or not getting better. Stop sounding like the pathetic souls who say, “That’s just the way I am…” or “I don’t have time…”
Stop sounding like the crybabies who say, “Take evening classes and spend my own money? Hey, I already work hard all day. Besides, it’s my employer’s job to train me, or it’s the government’s job to look after my future.”
#3: Aggressively Pursue Ongoing Personal and Professional Development
No one who becomes rich in any particular business or field starts with all the skills he or she needs.
If, for example, your purpose is to turn your kids into financially independent, self-sufficient adults, you may need to take some courses on a variety of financial topics yourself. How else could you possibly expect to model the right behavior or teach your kids the proper financial skills if you don’t have them yourself? If you have the goal of winning over your competitor’s customers without using price as a weapon, you may need to get some training on customer attraction and retention.
So what can you do to aggressively pursue ongoing personal and professional development?
Read targeted materials. You can’t read everything, so make sure a good portion of your reading time is focused on material that is likely to help you—in your life, career, relationships, or anything else that is important to you.
Attend every good seminar you can. There are a lot of waste-your-time programs out there. You have to choose carefully. So ask around and see which programs and speakers are the very best. Ask successful people—who you trust—which seminars they would recommend.
Listen as you commute. Chances are, you spend one to three hours every day engaged in some sort of commuting activity. Your commuting time could be a tremendous source of education and inspiration, if you turn your car, bus, or train seat into a classroom. Bring some educational and inspirational recordings with you, and listen to them as you commute back and forth each day. You’ll be amazed at the focus, energy, and insights they give you.
#4: Use Proven Learning and Retention Devices
Research says that if a person just sits in a seminar without getting involved, three hours after the seminar, he or she will only recall 50 percent of what was said. And one month after the seminar, his or her retention rate will be less than 5 percent.
To become a truly effective learner, use the following system. First, take notes. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you will remember what was said. You won’t. Dr. Manny Steil, the world’s foremost authority on listening, says you’ll get 20 percent more from a meeting if you take notes. And you’ll get 35 percent more if you put your notes into a report—saying what you learned and how you’ll use what you learned.
#5: Learn from Champions
Another great source of continuing education is other people. You can learn a great deal from observing champions and following their lead. Interview them and soak up their wisdom.
Surround yourself with champions and learn from them, individually or in a group setting. I’ve been doing that for more than 20 years, meeting with six world-class speakers, someplace in the world, four times each year, for two days at a stretch. What I’ve learned from those gatherings has been so huge that I would place this experience in the top five learning experiences of my entire life.
#6: Learn from Losers
You also can learn from losers. Just find out what they do…and then don’t do that! As business philosopher Jim Rohn says, “It’s too bad losers or failures don’t give seminars. Wouldn’t that be valuable? We could sit back and say, ‘Pete…Henry…Mary…Jessica, you’ve screwed up your life for 40 years. If I bring a notepad, and promise to take good notes, would you spend a day with me? Would you teach me all the things not to do?’”
That might sound kind of silly, but it’s brilliant. Get in the habit of continuing your education by learning something from every person you meet.
These six strategies will get you on the path of continuing education, and that’s great. It’s your first GIANT step towards greater success.
For more than 20 years, best-selling author and Hall of Fame professional speaker, Dr. Alan Zimmerman has helped more than a million people transform their power to lead and communicate. For a free subscription to his Internet newsletter and a free e-book of his most popular articles, visit: www.DrZimmerman.com
