Keeping skills sharp, interest high at work

Ask the Coach

By Marshall Brown, CPCC, President, Marshall Brown & Associates, Washington
published in AssociationTRENDS. reprinted with permission.

Q. I am a mid-level staffer with more than 10 years in my current position. I am quite content with my organization, position and level of responsibility. Yet, I am often frustrated with the lack of challenging educational opportunities for me. What would you suggest to help keep my skills sharp and interest high?

Although I don¹t know what you are currently doing or what skills you have now, here are some general questions you might want to ask yourself.

• What is causing me to think of this now? Is something changing in my personal or professional life to cause me to think differently?
• What skills do I have that I might want to strengthen?
• What is missing from my life?
• What am I really interested in?

I know that these might be tough questions to ask, and I encourage you to find the answers. I believe they will help you determine a vision that will challenge you and provide other opportunities.

Once your vision becomes clearer, put together a plan that will help you get there. If you don¹t already belong to an assn of like minded people who are doing what you are doing, join one. Research the types of educational opportunities they offer. If that¹s what you determine is missing, great, get involved. If not, look at other organizations. You might even want to approach one of them about creating your idea as an educational opportunity for them to offer. Again though, you need to determine what is missing for you.

I would also encourage you to look at professional development programs and seminars that are available, either through your assn or in your community. Today, the majority of higher education institutions provide ongoing continuing education programs (and many of these are online that you can do at home).

This is all about you taking charge of your life. I strongly encourage you NOT to wait around for someone to tell you what seminar to go to or what class to take. You need to assess what your interests are and what skills you want to develop. Talk with people about how they developed their skills and continued to challenge themselves. Then go out and find ways to do that. It¹s a matter of just do it! Keep me posted on how you are doing! All the best!

Readers: If you have any suggestions or have experienced a similar challenge, let me know. I will share your thoughts in another column.

Marshall Brown, a certified career and executive coach has always had a passion for helping people find ways to live more fulfilling lives. As a coach, Brown helps individuals to find their passions and encourages them to move ahead in reaching their goals. His book, High Level Resumes, reflects his successful work with hundreds of job candidates. Reach him at marshall@mbrownassociates.com.

Ask the Coach addresses questions and concerns of assn professionals about their careers. Send your questions to marshall@mbrownassociates.com.

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