The KEY - Keep Educating Yourself. By Tina Zawila.

By the time you read this article, Steve and I will be in Brisbane undertaking our Australian Institute of Company Directors Course.  At Sothertons we are strong believers in life-long learning.  As professionals, we are constantly required to undertake professional development, reading and upskilling to be able to offer the best possible service and advice to our clients.  However, the truth is, we would do it, even if it wasn’t a requirement of our profession.  Life-long learning is simply a part of who we are.

The world is a rapidly changing place and the skills and knowledge you have now, may not serve you in the future.  In fact, some of the skills and jobs that will be required within the next couple of years probably haven’t even been heard of yet!

As a business owner, to stay relevant and successful, you must keep yourself, and your team, ahead of the game in your industry, regardless of what industry that is.  If you own a café, you should be looking at what trends are evolving in food and nutrition, if you are a mechanic, you need to be on top of the latest computer technology driving our cars, and if you are a professional service provider (doctor, lawyer, engineer) there will always be advances in technology and legislative requirements.

If you are an employee, a commitment to life-long learning and professional development adds value to you and the organization that employs you.  Don’t rely on your current employer to offer you formal training and development, look for your own opportunities.  Find something that you are passionate about and seek more information and knowledge on that topic.   It will give you a competitive edge over your peers and may just land you that promotion or new opportunity.

Remember, that life-long learning does not necessarily mean formal courses, it can simply be reading a book or watching a YouTube educational video.  In this digital age, we all have access to more information than ever before, so what are you waiting for?

What are your learning goals in 2017?  The professional team at Sothertons are avid learners, call us today on 4972 1300, we would be happy to share our resources with you.