IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS

 IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS

whatever stage you have reached in your career, it is vital to keep learning. by widening and applying your knowledge, you can dramatically improve your performance. 

 INCREASING LEARNING

 You are never too old to learn, and the need for learning      increases, rather than decreases, as your career advances and jobs    become more complex and important. Time for study may be hard  to find, but it always pays off.

EDUCATING YOURSELF

Many people promoted to a new, senior position think that they can learn on the job, without any need for education in the new tasks. Yet, if you wanted to indulge in a new hobby, for example wind-surfing, you would expect to take lessons. The same principal applies to taking up a new position or moving to a new company. your natural ability needs reinforcement by learning, in both general and specific ways, how to do the work. Many companies fail to insist on this reinforcement. If the employer will not provide the learning, take steps to get it yourself.

LEARNING A LANGUAGE

Mastering other tongues makes a difference in negotiations and business relationships. It is also a valuable exercise for the mind. cassettes and videos are effective learning tools - but the best learning is interactive. You can sing up for classes or use interactive media. Then, take every chance to use your new skill. It will impress everybody, including your foreign business contacts.

APPLYING YOURSELF

Set aside regular study periods and find a quiet environment where you can concentrate on learning without being distracted.

MASTERING COMPUTERS

However you obtain access to computing power, it is an indispensable extension of your own brain and capabilities. You must quickly master a word-processing program, e-mail, and a spreadsheet. productivity aids like desk diaries and personal databases, too, are worth their weight in gold and cost little (in some cases, nothing). Apart from the personal benefits they bring , computers in many organizations now provide essential access to company files, colleagues, messages, customers, suppliers, collaborative working, and the internet (which will be, and in many cases already is, the conduit to these contacts).

Note:-( REAPING THE BENEFITS Computer programmers may take time and effort to master, but the investment will be returned Many times over. It is important to make that investment. )

USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Make  sure that any courses you plan to attend are relevant to your work. Then do all you can to apply what you have learnt. Do not be deterred by less enlightened colleagues who may pour scorn on what what you have been taught. You can only discover whether those lessons have real value by putting them into practice in your day-to-day work. Pass on your new knowledge to colleagues, and make them your allies.