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Learning Exchange: What It Takes to Be the Best
March 04, 2008
By Karen Brill
Training magazine recently revealed the 2008 Training Top 125, an honor intended to celebrate the best in our industry and encourage others to go further and do better. For individual learning practitioners, the associated buzz begs the question, "Apart from a big budget and good contacts, what does it take to be the best?"
Throughout my years as a consultant and learning exec, I have received many generous compliments, including "You are good at what you do." Although well-trained to respond with a gracious "Thank you" (instead of, for instance, "It's no big deal."), I know that I have only ever aimed at being the best.
To be good at what you do; to receive consistently high ratings and reviews; to build a practice with a solid reputation in the business—the best is what you aim for out of the gate. I'm not talking about holding hands with colleagues and shouting, "We're No. 1,"…or any other version of self-congratulatory behavior. I am talking about the orientation of the best in the field to live up to the aspiration. This means you choose to live a little differently by:
Staying Current
The best in the field are active members of professional associations that promote their practice; invest time in reading books, journals, and articles; try out new tools; and stay current with what's hot.
Seeking Feedback and Self-Evaluating
The best are always looking to get better. Some believe that at the top there is only one way to go. That may be true unless, of course, you continue to grow in your role by seeking information on your performance and reflecting on how to continually improve.
Building Capability
It's not all about you. The best in any industry are those who share their expertise and contribute to developing the organization's capability. Think about your legacy today. What will you leave behind when you go? Who will take your contribution forward?
Sticking Around When the Going Gets Tough
It's not good enough to be good at what you do when everything is going well. The best stick around when the going gets tough. They are accountable for results in good times and bad. When there's mutiny on the training team, when your evaluations are poor, when the ship is going down, are you rallying people to the lifeboats? Or are you only trying to save yourself? Remember that in any professional or life practice, on your worst day you are sowing the seeds for your finest hour.
Invest some time in reading about the Top 125 in Training magazine and on www.trainingmag.com this month and think about how these organizations got to where they are. Their stories inform our own experience of what it takes to be the best.
Until next time…
Karen Brill is a learning and development specialist in Toronto and a monthly contributor to www.trainingmag.com. Contact her at Karen.brill@rogers.com with your questions, comments, and ideas to share with our community of practice.
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