Do you have moments on the job, when you feel like you need to get better at work? In a fast changing professional climate, you may find yourself saying, “I don’t know how to do that.”
Those words can present both a challenge and an opportunity. While you understand the need to change, getting the momentum to make a change may be difficult. Here are some things to keep in mind as you review where you are and where you want to go:
The Hard Truth
It’s humbling to know you need to get better at work. It’s exciting to understand that you can improve. You don’t have to feel stuck where you are.
If you can’t admit to shortcomings, then self-improvement is probably a foreign concept. Get comfortable with the idea that you don’t know everything but some focused time and energy can unlock knowledge and growth.
Set Your Standards
You want to decide how much you need to improve in a certain area. Do you need mastery, just a good understanding, or something in between?
For instance, I might want to improve my typing speed and accuracy. Do I want to compete, in contests with the very best typists in the world, or do I just want to get a speed advantage in my daily work?
Those are two different goals that require different commitments. Choose the destination, for your improvement, to make sure you’re on the right path.
You may decide the best way to get better at something is to outsource it. Trying to improve a skill that doesn’t engage you or represent a strength, may not make sense.
Make Two Budgets
To make sure your professional improvement is successful, you’ll want to create budgets for money and time. First, determine how much cash you can invest in the project.
There are likely options at different price points. Make sure you select the one you can afford. You don’t want to commit to something and later discover its funding is needed elsewhere.
Take a similar approach to the time you can spend to get better at work. Factor in all those daily distractions that eat away at your free time, as well as unexpected and urgent needs that typically come up.
All of this should give you a good feel for the time you’ll need to complete your program. If your schedule can’t support it, then workload adjustments need to be made or you shouldn’t commit to the project. You don’t want to invest in something you can’t finish.
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