Focusing on your development and learning can feel selfish. It takes time, and often, it takes money. Developing yourself brings so many benefits – to yourself, to your company, and to others – that you really can’t afford NOT to.

5 reasons why you can’t afford NOT to invest in your development! #training #learning Click To Tweet

Development isn’t limited to formal classroom training. Practicing a new skill on the job or learning from a colleague or mentor can be every bit as important, and less expensive, too. That said, seminars and workshops can act as catalysts for change. Outside perspectives from instructors and other participants can be exceptionally valuable, and they can give you great ideas for new ways of doing things.

When you’re investing in your development:

1. You’re promotable
2. You’re hireable
3. You’re engaged
4. You’re confident
5. You can support others

You’re promotable

Learning new skills and developing the ones you already have can make you more valuable to your employer and prepare you for your next move. When an opportunity becomes available, you’ll be an obvious choice.

You’re hireable

If you’re promotable internally, chances are good that other companies would consider you an attractive candidate, too.

You’re engaged

It’s exciting to learn new things! And having the opportunity to develop your skills and abilities – and even better, to apply them on the job – makes work even more interesting than it usually is. If you’re a leader, don’t forget that Management by Development can be very effective!

You’re confident

Acquiring new skills and knowledge brings confidence and self-assurance, regardless of the subject. It’s not just the so-called “soft skills” training (like communications, or presentation skills, or interpersonal skills) that build confidence. Learning technical or job-specific skills helps you feel more self-assured, too.

You can support others

When you gain new expertise, it’s natural to share it with others. Through mentoring or sharing your newly gained knowledge, your learning can have a ripple effect for your team.

Always strive for a balance between development and contribution in your job. As you start a new role, you’re developing a lot, and contributing relatively little. There’s natural pressure to start balancing the scales by contributing as quickly as possible.

After you’ve been in the same role for a while, though, you may be contributing a lot, but developing little or not at all. Organizations may be okay with this imbalance, but you should never be – it doesn’t serve you (or them) in the long run.

What was your favorite development experience? Tell us about it below!

 

Control freaks: let it go! There are 3 main categories of stuff, and only one category you can – and should — do something about:

1. Universe Stuff
2. Other People’s Stuff
3. Your Stuff

Guess which one you get to work on?

Let’s check under the hood.

Life gets easier when you let go of stuff that’s not in your control. Click To Tweet

Universe Stuff

This covers things like time, weather, gravity, and things that are in the past or future. These things are in the control of the divine (or whatever deity or cosmos rings your bell). You cannot control Universe Stuff. It’s simply off the table.

Other People’s Stuff

This is anyone else’s stuff except yours. Stuff like other peoples’ thoughts and opinions, what other people say or do, and how they feel. You can’t control any of that, either.

People ask me, “What about people I manage? Don’t I control what they do?” Guess what? You don’t. You get to control what you ask them to do, what resources you provide, and the supervision that you give. Your team members, on the other hand, control what they actually do.

Same principle applies to kids. You can control their environment, what you give them to wear, and the rules you want them to live by. They control how they react to those inputs. Ask any parent of a toddler. Or a teenager.

Your Stuff

Something you finally get to control! Hurray!

You are responsible for controlling what you say, do, think, and feel. How you show up in the world. Not what other people think, do, feel, or say about how you’re showing up, though (that’s their stuff).

Your stuff also includes how you react to the Universe Stuff and Other People’s Stuff. Other People’s Stuff may convince you to moderate yourself (like being quiet in a library, or paying for your groceries before you leave the store), but it’s still on you to do it. How you deal with a rainy day or react to time passing is all yours to control, too.

You might want to impact or influence how others view you in a business meeting. Ultimately, how they view you is their stuff, but there’s plenty of Your Stuff that’s part of the business meeting. You can control how much you prepare, what you wear, your attitude, your tone of voice, and how you show up. Once you put it out there, what people do with those inputs is out of your control.

On the flip side, you control how you react to Other People’s Stuff. If someone is a bully, do you fold, or stick your tongue out, or report them, or punch them, or ignore it? It’s certainly not your fault that they’re a bully. But what you do with that input is Your Stuff. If you’re not sure which way to go, think about how each choice would serve you.

You can’t control the weather (Universe Stuff), but you can control how you deal with it. If you’re planning an outdoor event, you can research what the weather forecast is, and have contingency plans for the unexpected. Those are definitely within your control, even though the rain, or lack thereof, isn’t.

What about stuff like mental illness or other disease? They generally fall into the category of Universe Stuff – you can’t control if you get them or have them, but you can control, at least to some extent, what you do to respond to them.

Wow. This is big. When you stop trying to control things you shouldn’t and focus on the things you should, life gets easier.

What’s easier for you when you focus on Your Stuff? Write in below to let us know!

 

It’s so easy to not get things done. Email, phone calls, impromptu meetings can all eat up your entire day before you realize it. So what should you do? The staggeringly simple (but not necessarily easy) formula for getting stuff done is: 1) Do The Thing, and 2) Stop Worrying.

The staggeringly simple (but not necessarily easy) formula for getting stuff done is: Do The Thing, and Stop Worrying. Click To Tweet

Do The Thing

Yup. Simple. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not scary. Or hard. Or whatever. I mean, first things first, right?

What stands in the way of doing whatever it is that needs doing?

Excuse 1: Not enough time

Guess how much time you’re wasting thinking about how much time you don’t have? A ton. Everybody is busy. If you want The Thing done, prioritize it. Over checking Facebook. Over Twitter. Over any of the thousands of time-sucking things that take over your life without adding a ton in return.

If it’s something big, you may need to really think about how to make the time to do it. The good news? It can be done.

Excuse 2: Not enough knowledge

If you’re doing something for the first time, you may think that you don’t have the knowledge or skill to do it. Don’t let that stop you! There are so many resources on every conceivable topic online, including “how-to” videos for all sorts of things. Or you can ask someone for help. Most everyone likes to be known as an expert, and many people are happy to help.

If you’re concerned about not knowing, think about how your learner mindset can be an asset. You might be looking at things from a brand-new perspective. Or you could have great insights to things a beginner would want to know (that an expert may have already forgotten!). And think about how much more excited you are as a novice than someone who’s done what you’re about to do a thousand times.

Excuse 3: Not enough nerve

You know that saying about how the slowest runner is beating everybody sitting on their couches? That. Progress beats inaction every time. Think about that for a minute.

What if you tell yourself that you’re just putting together a rough draft of The Thing. That’s not nearly as intimidating as, “You Must Complete The Thing!” which sounds way more fancy & final.

Draft = “hmm . . . that doesn’t sound too hard;” Complete = “OMG, I’m not sure I can do this!” At the end of the day, which would you rather have: a draft of The Thing, or a bagful of neuroses about completing The Thing (but no actual Thing)? If you said you’d rather have the bag of neuroses, this post is not for you.

You are awesome. You can do it!

Stop Worrying

…about perfection

If you’re waiting until it’s perfect, it won’t be, anyway, so you may as well get on with it. Go for good enough. Remember, 90% still gets an A! It’s so freeing to allow yourself to not be perfect (oh, and it can also free up tons of time). What doesn’t turn out right can be used as opportunity to improve. It’s like beta testing with software.

…about other people’s opinions

You’re bound to be harder on yourself than virtually everyone else. Except internet trolls, so don’t listen to them. They don’t count. And besides, if everybody likes you, you’re probably not very interesting.

As author Olin Miller famously said, “You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.”

And don’t forget to celebrate when you Do The Thing. You deserve it!

What’s your best hint for getting stuff done? Tell us in the comments below!

 

The buzz at a networking meeting I attended last week was all about giving. We were all talking about what we could give to the group, to each other, and to non-profits. Give, give, give, give, give! So exciting!

Then, someone said, “One of the best things people can do in groups like this is to receive.” Mic drop. Wow. What about “’tis better to give than receive?” Yikes! Receiving sounds so selfish!

But receiving has 3 gifts of its own:

• Receiving allows others to be generous
• Receiving gives others the chance to be experts, and
• Receiving shows your vulnerability

Give the gift of receiving: it allows others to be generous, gives them the chance to be experts, and shows your vulnerability. Click To Tweet

Receiving allows others to be generous

Several years ago, I was in a horrible car wreck and couldn’t walk for months. My friends and neighbors sprang into action, with visits, casseroles, babysitting, and more. I was a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, until a pal told me how great it felt for her to be able to do something to help. She knew she couldn’t help me with my rehab, but she could bring lunch and her kid’s lame knock-knock jokes, which made me laugh. Super-hard.

Receiving gives others the chance to be experts

When you take someone else’s advice or recommendations, you’re showing them that you value their opinion. The giver is made expert. A colleague of mine was thrilled when a top executive asked for her recommendations on a project – taking her advice showed that he valued her knowledge and expertise.

Receiving shows your vulnerability

When you gracefully receive someone’s offer, you’re admitting that you can’t go it alone in this world. Which you can’t. A super-smart single mom I know realized early on that it takes more than just her to raise her wonderful kids. The act of receiving, for her, allows her to acknowledge that vulnerability so she doesn’t feel like she has to show up as SuperMom.

When was the last time you gave by receiving? Let us know in the comments below.

 

Superpowers are wonderful and can take you far in life. But when taken too far, they can work to your disadvantage. You need to be aware of the flip side of your superpowers — killer strengths –especially if you’re under pressure or stressed out.

Keep superpowers from becoming killer strengths by being aware, developing your other superpowers, and getting outside perspectives. Click To Tweet

Killer strengths start out as something you’re great at, but morph into something that no longer serves you. If you’re great at analysis (superpower), you could lock things down into analysis-paralysis (killer strength). If you’re a relationship-builder, you might over-rely on getting consensus for everything from everyone when you’re under stress. Is one of your superpowers driving projects forward? You may lean toward being over-controlling in pressure situations. If you’re an out-of-the-box thinker, you might edge into anarchy if you get carried away.

Keep Superpowers from Turning Into Killer Strengths

Here are 3 tips to keep your superpowers in check: be aware, develop other superpowers, and get outside perspectives.

Be aware.

When you know the possibilities, it’s easier to keep a lid on things. You’ll be more likely to pull yourself back from a full-blown superpower meltdown if you know you have the tendency to go that route. If you know you tighten down and exert more and more control as things get stressful for you, be sure to check in with yourself in times of pressure to make sure you’re not overusing your superpower of control.

Develop your other superpowers.

When you only have a hammer in your toolbox, you either only get to pound nails, or you wind up using your hammer to do stuff a hammer wasn’t meant to do. (Pro-tip: hammers can’t take the place of screwdrivers.) If you’ve got several different superpowers, chances are better that you’ll have the right superpower for the job.

Get some outside perspective.

Whether it’s a coworker, your manager, a mentor, or a coach, talking with someone who has a different viewpoint can help you see things you might not. And when stuff gets stressful, ask for help. When you’re stressed, you’re less likely to be able to see your superpowers morph into killer strengths.

How do you make sure your superpowers don’t turn into killer strengths? Post a comment below with your best tip!