“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

Benjamin Franklin

It always seemed short-sighted to me that leaders in many organisations were hesitant to spend money on learning and development for their staff. 

During tough economic times, training budgets were always one of the first to be slashed.

Another problem with organisational learning is that much of the training provided feels forced or irrelevant.

I always found this demotivating as someone who valued learning and growth in a career.

Don’t you want your people to be at their best during challenging times? 

Shouldn’t they be learning and continuously improving? Moving beyond what wasn’t working in the past?

It’s easy to get caught up being too busy to do the hard work of learning something new.

The world doesn’t stand still. And neither should we.

I always sought to find my own way to learning if I couldn’t get support from within the organisation. Self-directed learning feels more motivating to me.

Several years ago, I wanted to study an MBA to help break out of a career that wasn’t suited to me. It went against the grain of the traditional path in my industry. I don’t exactly know why, but I felt the MBA calling me.

I knew this was what I wanted. I had to break out. So I went for it.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions I made. It broke me out of my rigid shell and opened me up to new teachers and new ideas – new ways of thinking. 

It was a breath of fresh air to me. It felt right. The style of work and topics came more naturally to me than what I had been doing.

The master’s degree didn’t magically open doors to career success or turn me into a superstar entrepreneur. That is unrealistic. However, it did something more subtle and profound. 

It got me excited about self-learning and ideas. I started devouring books, eager to learn more on specific topics like leadership, psychology and systems thinking. This was strange, as I had hardly read any books over the prior ten years. I was still carrying scars from some the books I was required to read in high school.

Something had now changed. I was excited by the potential of knowledge from books. The self-directed nature of the learning felt like a path opening up in front of me. One thing leading to another just as I needed it.

Another change occurred, I realised I was more interested in people and ideas rather than numbers (my prior gig). Although not my final destination, it felt more natural to me. It was a sign I was heading in the right direction.

In the end I learnt that I didn’t need a masters degree to be successful. Turns out you don’t need permission to start something. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Otherwise, I might not have become who I am today.

I am glad I didn’t hesitate to invest in myself.

Reflection

Always prioritise learning and growth.

• When in doubt on a learning decision, write a letter or thank you note from your future self, thanking you for investing in yourself.