Business owners are busy people. They are also the subject matter expert for their industry – the go-to-guy. So why on earth would they invest more of their valuable time, energy, and money into professional development? The answer is simple – change. Everything changes and nothing will ever stay the same. This is why you must continue to soak up as much information about your industry, your marketplace, and your business practices. New ideas and new ways of doing things could make an enormous difference to the success of your company.
Of course, it’s not just the business owners that should keep their fingers on the pulse of change in the business world. Each employee should also strive to better their understanding. They must stay up to date with the latest developments in their own specialist fields. Business owners may be the jack-of-all-trades – most startups have only one person to cover every role. But as the business grows, the company recruits specialists. New roles offer technical expertise and knowledge that likely surpasses the boss’s own. Unless that knowledge and skill-set are refreshed and topped up regularly, it may soon become obsolete.
New Regulations and Practice Laws
Accountants are essential for any medium to large firm. Managing money is something that requires a great attention to detail. Cash flow, in particular, could make or break a business. At the end of each quarter, the Financial Director reports on the income and expenditure of the company. Many of these reports must also be filed for the government and tax offices. If your team fails to notice a change in reporting requirements, this could result in a hefty fine for your company.
Education and training are, in itself, continually changing. If your business is education, you need to stay on top of safeguarding laws and requirements. These are changing very frequently. New qualifications and examinations are being introduced all the time. Your team needs to keep on top of these so they can be sure they are offering the latest and best education they can. Is your HR team aware of the latest school qualifications that may appear on resumes of young applicants?
Reaching Your Customers
The marketing department is perhaps the most important part of your business. The marketing team is tasked with reaching out to your new and existing customers. Most professional marketers have qualifications that require them to continue their professional development. This means their knowledge and practices are up to date. They have the latest techniques under their belt and know the laws regulating advertising and marketing. There is, of course, more to it than that.
Continuing professional development offers your staff an opportunity to develop their career. You may worry that your employee would take your training and investment and then run off to another employer. It is a risk, but without that training, you may lose them to another company willing to invest anyway. If you adopt a culture of personal development, then your team will become stronger. For example, your marketing team might benefit from digital marketing leadership training. This then offers your business the chance to organize staff to meet new developments in their field. It equips them to reach customers effectively.
Making Managers
Developing your staff to step up into new roles of responsibility can save you having to find and train newcomers. Internal knowledge and experience are hugely valuable to your firm. An outside manager may be able to bring fresh ideas and experience from a competitor firm. However, recruiting from within saves you months of integration problems. Investing and offering plenty of promotion opportunities also improves staff retention and morale. It goes a long way to developing the company culture you’re looking for.
The longer your employees work for you, the better. The higher up they get on the corporate ladder, the better. Why? It makes great PR! Adding up all that experience, and having working life stories to tell is great for your corporate literature too. Most important of all, you’ll soon accrue decades of loyalty. You’ll know your key workers well, and the working relationship between you all will be strong. They’ll become your go-to-guys!
Making A Name For Your Corporation
With all the PR that can be generated from your longest serving employees, your company can start to build a great reputation. You’ll be able to attract more and more talent, particularly those with specialist knowledge you need to grow. With great talent comes great ideas and new products and services. Your company name will become well known as a great place to work and this, in turn, filters down to the customers.
A happy work culture creates a happy brand that customers can be attracted by. Your front line staff will be keen to please and happy to be doing their jobs. Customers love that, and this could develop into more sales. You might even charge a premium for your brand. As a boss, you’ll be known for your investments in people. Perhaps you’ll even win awards for your dedication to this?
Making A Better You
Continuing your own professional development is essential as your company grows. You too need at least a basic level of understanding of every department of your business. In many cases, business owners can be liable should things go wrong. Understand your responsibilities, and continue your training to ensure smooth sailing. So how do you go about making a better you? One way is getting the right qualifications and skill-set through the furthering of your education, an MBA degree online can suit your busy schedule and equip you with the right amount of knowledge in handling important business matters.
Set aside an hour just once a week to undertake a little reading or attend a seminar. If you have any professional qualifications, you should receive magazines or newsletters. These detail the workshops or seminars that are relevant to you. Check with the body that awarded your qualification if you’re not sure. They can help you find regional and local events that will keep you connected with the right people. Of course, as a successful professional, you might have something to offer others yourself. There is a private revenue stream available here, and it will also offer great PR for your business. What will you learn today?
