Articles

Building Skills Builds Your Value

Jana M. Kemp

Stephen Covey refers to the process of building your personal skills as “Sharpening the Saw.” In other words, a great tool becomes worthless when it is not well-maintained and undergoing continuous refinement. Consider yourself a great tool and a skill-set worthy of being well-maintained and refined.

Attorneys and CPA’s are required to annually attend continuing education sessions in order to maintain their professional standing. Plumbers and mechanics begin building skills in an apprenticeship and continue building skills through annual certification courses. What are you doing this year to increase your skills and to build your value as a present and future employee?

The time, effort, and cost to increase your skills range from the purchase and reading of a book to the completion of an advanced degree. Here are some ideas to help you and those you work with support each other in the learning and skill building process.

Business Book Club – Your team can read the same book and discuss one to two chapters at a time during a regular staff meeting or over lunch. Time: 15 to 30 minutes.

Lunch-and-Learn – Also called Brown Bag presentations, these sessions typically involve bringing a subject matter expert to the lunch-hour meeting. Time: 30 to 40 minutes.

Workshops – In-house training staff, hired trainers, and higher education institutions can provide topic-specific workshops that are geared for your company, knowledge, and skill needs. Time: 1 hour to multiple days.

Videos or Online courses – The self-study learning industry began with books. Now we have videos, CDs, video-conferences, and online learning. Catalogs with courses on every subject abound. Time: 20 minutes to 8 hours.

Conferences – Whether your company, trade association, or industry group sponsors the conference, the key is to determine what you’ll take away from the event that will allow you to do your job differently or to live your life more meaningfully. Time: 1 day to 4 days.

Certification Programs – Trade associations offer certification programs and exams, as do universities. Time: 1 year or more.

College Degrees and Advanced Degrees – You name it and you can find or create a degree for it. Time: 1 to 6 years.

Whatever route you choose to pursue, make sure that the teaching methods will meet your learning needs and your needs for skill development. When possible, include your skill development plans in your annual review document so that you and your supervisor can agree on a course of action that your supervisor and your company will support. (Of course, if you are building skills to leave your current employment, the preceding suggestion won’t help.)

ACTION ITEMS: Get started increasing your skills this week.
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Reprint Permission: The author is willing to grant reprint permissions. Please contact Jana Kemp: jana@janakemp.com or call 208-367-1701.