How do you improve your skills and advance your career? Today’s business environment is ever-changing. As a result, it has never been more critical to continue learning. I’ve written over a dozen articles related to the importance of demonstrating curiosity for career growth and personal development. Furthermore, showing curiosity during the interview process is a potent differentiator. Continuous learning is the best way to develop your career. It keeps your brain active, engaged, and improves your skills, which help you advance your career path.
Some people sit back and wait for their organization to spoon-feed their training. When the organization isn’t offering training or development, it provides them with an easy excuse for a stalled career or missed promotion opportunities. Conversely, others will own their development by intentionally seizing opportunities to expose themselves to new thoughts, ideas, and knowledge. As a result, these professionals excel in their careers and overall happiness.
Today, it is more important than ever to keep learning. Show up to work with an active, engaged mind and never stop learning. Here are five strategies to get started.
1. Intentionally stimulate curiosity
How do you intentionally foster curiosity? What makes you want to learn? Research suggests the joy of exploration is the hidden force that drives learning, critical thinking, and reasoning. Curiosity is a skill that you need to develop to advance your career. Therefore, actively explore your industry or market. Devour books and information, investigate concepts, or manipulate data.
Exercise your curiosity muscle by intentionally asking “why,” “what if,” and “how” questions. Quality questions are vital when demonstrating curiosity. Even more, they improve your professional relationships. Use these questions to explore someone’s interests, expand upon their ideas, and engage in meaningful dialogue.
2. Prioritize reading over TikTok
It isn’t a secret that Warren Buffet reads 500 pages a day. Elon Musk makes a similar claim, as does Mark Zuckerberg. Reading correlates with higher education, income, and above all, overall happiness. Furthermore, reading is strongly correlated with success. Driven people use reading to learn and achieve more.
Your reading habits make a tremendous impact on your knowledge base, way of thinking, and achievement. Thanks to technology, your reading doesn’t have to be limited to books. However, biographies and autobiographies are exceptional choices because they teach how innovators and leaders have overcome challenges and will motivate your quest for success.
However, your reading topics can’t be entertainment related. Consequently, focus on topics for self-improvement, education, and success. In other words, spend less time on TikTok and more time on business-focused mediums.
3. Leverage online learning platforms
Learning technologies continue to advance, which makes learning from experts easy and accessible. Colleges and universities offer many of their classes for free online. Webinars are common business learning tools. Additionally, podcasts have exploded in popularity and offer an ever-expanding range of subjects. Furthermore, LinkedIn, Udemy, and others offer bite-sized learning lessons that can be consumed in under an hour.
In short, learning has never been more accessible. So much so that there are very few excuses for not being a lifelong learner. The most successful professionals are those who have an insatiable appetite for learning. As a result, they are always improving, which allows them to continue to advance their career.
4. Be quiet, listen, and listen some more
Businesses engage with consultants to help them solve their most significant problems. When something is broken or to improve efficiency, morale, or anything else, they hire consultants to come in, assess, and make recommendations to improve. The first thing consultants do is talk to the front line. They ask questions, listen, and then package everything they were told into a plan to solve the business’s problem.
Improve your listening skills to advance your career by talking to the front line and listening to their ideas and suggestions. There is a wealth of knowledge sitting in your organization just waiting for someone to ask questions and listen. When you listen, rather than focus on your own perspective, you open the door to learning. Even more, actively surround yourself with people who challenge your viewpoints.
5. Exercise and physical activity
Exercise and physical activity are good for your mind and leadership. It helps with memory and thinking, reduces insulin resistance, inflammation, and stimulates the release of growth factors. Additionally, exercise improves mood and sleep. Further, it reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas contribute to your inability to acquire knowledge.
Any form of aerobic exercise will do because it gets your heart pumping. Whatever activity you choose to engage in, commit to establishing it as a habit. For example, every few hours, get out of your office chair and walk a couple of laps outside.
Improve the skill of curiosity. Become a lifelong learner to improve your skills and advance your career. Our ever-changing business environment demands continual learning. Curiosity will differentiate you during the job interview process. Applying these tips will set you up for success.
Last updated on April 15th, 2021 at 07:47 am
