Mountain BizWorks’ Post

Nice post Joe Vines (He/Him), hope you're well. You make a good point, with the key word being 'expectations'. If one can't match those expectations, then at least be honest about it and don't promise/pretend, that there will be L&D, when there isn't. At that point, one loses trust, which is fatal. In an industry that's all too often focused on the 'short-term' over the 'long-term', L&D can be a key differentiator, between good firms and bad ones, as it shows a commitment to (and an investment in) developing people for the longer-term.

Four opportunities here!

📙 How do you learn? The need for professional learning and development will grow rapidly within the next decade. I’m digging deeper into research and knowledge around learning and how we can make it happen in a busy work week. One thing that helped me was to understand how I learn, so I put together a test that you can take to figure out what works for you. Follow the link below in the comments to take the 3-minute test and get your daily microdose of learning by better understanding yourself. ( 📸 from my Executive MBA graduation in my young and promising days)

Is "entry-level" even entry-level anymore? 🤔 Employers are expecting candidates to have years of experience AND certifications for roles that should be a starting point. If we're asking for seasoned skills, why aren't we paying for them? 💸 Maybe it's time to rethink how we define entry-level and commit to training those who are interested in learning. What do you think?

When did you last learn something new? We often say we’re too busy for continuous learning. But then 3 years has passed and you realise that the industry has moved on. Suddenly you’re looking for a new role. The skill gap between what got you into your current role, and what you need for the next one, has grown. Thankfully, there are loads of great ways to keep refreshing your knowledge and skills, alongside your main work. You can: 👉Devote an hour a week to online courses 👉 Join community challenges to practice new features 👉 Ask about cross-skilling programs within your employment And if you’re struggling to find the time or money for it, ask your employer! Tell your manager that there is a particular skill you want to practice. Highlight the benefits of what that learning can bring the company. A lack of development opportunities is always listed as one of the reasons why employees leave their roles. So be confident in that your manager will want to support you with learning in some capacity at least. Have you been able to continuously make time for learning over the last couple of years? Let me know any tips and the benefits to you down below 👇

Thought I’d share my key takeaways so far from the Squiggly Careers learning sprint. Day 1 - Time management What are the hours you get the most return from. Identify when are you most productive and least distracted. Match the work to that window to get the best impact. Closing open loops. Our brains are designed to create not store ideas. Just noting down the things as we think of them means we aren’t trying to multi task by remembering all those to do things or ideas while we are focusing on another task. Love this quote they shared and think it’s so true… The success measure for any time management technique is whether it helps you neglect the right things. What today onto and don’t do, is almost more important than what you yes to. Day 2 - Problem Solving I love the idea of Minimum Viable Progress- you can’t solve all of the problem, all of the time. You don’t have the time or resources to put a full plan and solution together to fix everything, but what can you do quickly as first steps or solving the most pressing part of that problem. Also essential to be flexible with the fix. If you are over attached to your idea and not open to others, you’re making the problem worse rather than better. I’ve found these super short sessions really useful so far- at 7 mins they're easy to slot into my day. You can still register for the sprint to learn from Helen and Sarah at Amazing If 😄 https://lnkd.in/e8WF2XmH

Did you know that 90% of all jobs can be taught? By giving candidates the chance to learn and grow, we can unlock their full potential. Let's work together to provide opportunities for everyone to thrive in their careers🚀

Three magic words that accelerated my learning: ‘I don’t know’. Early on in my career, I felt the pressure to know everything about the product/ area I supported. In large meetings, I rarely spoke up if anything didn’t make sense to me. I worried that if I admit that I didn’t know, I would be considered ineffective at my role. It was only when I started admitting that I didn’t know something that my learning accelerated. When I interrupted the meetings to ask clarifying questions, coworkers gladly elaborated. If we didn’t have the time, they offered to explain later. I asked follow up questions and dug deeper, developing a more nuanced and thorough understanding. Not only did this accelerate my learning, but also reinforced my own confidence in my ability to understand a topic deeply and learn fast. So my advice to anyone early in their career is - *Don’t feel the pressure to know it all and ask a lot of questions.* And while this may sound cliched - no question is a stupid question. Really. Every now and then, I have coworkers thank me for asking questions about stuff that I assume everyone already knows or is familiar with.

Ever made a mistake at work? You’re not alone. Everyone has made a mistake at some point in their career. We’re human, after all. I’ve enjoyed seeing people share stories of errors they’ve made in corporate jobs across social media recently — fostering a positive conversation around not only how to learn from them, but how they (most often) are not nearly as catastrophic as they feel in the moment. Simply put, mistakes are the fastest way to learn. As a lifelong learner myself, I have welcomed them throughout my life and career as opportunities to reflect and improve — whether refining my skill set, due-diligence, ability to ask for help, or attention to detail. Eliminating fear of failure is key to opening up a world of learning. In corporate work environments, particularly, it’s essential to foster a culture that encourages employees to view their inevitable mistakes as opportunities for growth. Ever made a mistake at work? Share your story and what you learned in the comments below.