I learn therefore I am
Professional training for real people
Training changed my life
Well, you’d expect me to say that because my business is training. But that’s exactly why my business is training. I could have chosen to sell widgets that make fridges work or business shirts. But I didn’t. I chose management training because, even on a bad day, I can feel like my business is making a difference to people’s lives.
If we’re lucky in our jobs, and we work for a company with a view to learning and development, we have the opportunity to enjoy some corporate training. Other of us elect to fund such training ourselves and do courses, big or small.
Management training ‘Eureka’!
My own training ‘Eureka!’ moment happened during my MBA in early 2003.
A university lecturer and corporate trainer (who now works with academy!) called Tyrone Pitsis was ‘railing from the pulpit’ as he was wont to do during a Managing People lecture.
He asked us if we had the guts to really ask ourselves two challenging questions, questions that have stayed with me a business leader and manager since then.
The first was “how do you know you are a good leader of others?” and the other was “why do people want to work for you?”.
My top two leadership questions
These two questions became light bulb moments for me.
I realised in the first instance that you could never, and should never, be able to answer the first, and that the business of leadership was a journey and not a destination. True leadership is something to be continually strived for, and it’s different from person to person. Hints you are good, however, come when people actively want to work with you!
To this day, the second question is one that I ask myself many times each week (and I know my partners do too) – and in doing so, I hope we always find new and innovative ways to inspire and engage the people that make our business a success. Sometimes we succeed, other times we are less successful, but thanks to Tyrone I always ask the question. I’m still very grateful to him for that. Being challenged during training has taught me to challenge myself.
So, how has training changed your life? I’d love to see your comments.
