"Well, pucker up and kiss it, Whoville." - The Grinch
Give yourself a gift for next year. Commit to attending and participating in one learning event, training class, or conference next year. I know, you’re too busy or you don’t have it in the budget. You can come up with a hundred reasons not to, but you should consider the valuable reasons to do it.
Get out of your box. When you work with the same people day in and day out you don’t get an infusion of new ideas. You just keep plodding along with what’s worked for you in the past. Even new ideas and processes get stale at some point. The 8-track was brilliant at one point in time.
Get out of your box. When you work with the same people day in and day out you don’t get an infusion of new ideas. You just keep plodding along with what’s worked for you in the past. Even new ideas and processes get stale at some point. The 8-track was brilliant at one point in time.
It’s not what you know but who you know. Everyone has heard that in terms of career advancement, but it has a parallel in business called networking. No matter what job you have there are probably other professionals that do just what you do. Only the most arrogant people would say they have nothing to learn from others, and it’s always helpful to have a cache of people in your contacts that you can ask questions of or just chat business.
Get fired up. Oddly enough it’s through the excitement of others that you can regain that passion you once had. Everyone gets bored or in a rut. The best way to prime your pump is to sit and watch a few other people who are excited about your profession. I have to say the biggest thing I get out of a conference is just that spark, that excitement that I take back to my own desk.
Increase your value. If you really participate you will come back excited and probably have a box full of new ideas to at least discuss with your team. The potential value you bring is high. Every conference that I or my team has been to has given my team insights that have increased our value to our customers. What is a better investment than that?
Recharge. Sure it’s work, and sometimes you spend more hours attending events than you do in your regular job. But it’s like a mini vacation. You will come back recharged and ready to go.
Cool Stuff. Schwag. Enough said.
I hope I’ve planted the seed in your mind to search out and attend a learning event or industry conference. Don’t be a Grinch. Give yourself a gift.
You can even dress up in a red suit and yell “Ho Ho Ho” if it makes you feel better.
