Learning is a constant in our life. Even before we open our eyes for the first time, the doctor taps us on the back to teach us how to breathe. Since then we are in constant training. Talking, walking, writing… School becomes a full-time job.
But as we enter the professional world, the number of emails in the inbox and the emergence of daily challenges start to occupy us all the time. There is also family, for whom the rest of the day is reserved, and a few more that we take to sleep.
While the desire to succeed and grow professionally remains, we still wonder if we should invest in ourselves. Time is limited, the investment seems high and although no one doubts that learning is constantly important, many still question it.
Should I invest on my training?
The testimonies we have gathered over the years from the executives who have gone through Nova SBE's training programs tell us clearly that yes, you should. So here are 10 reasons why you should bet on your training, supported by the words and experience of our participants.
There are few investments throughout our personal and professional lives that produce a quick return. Training is one of them. The applicability of the tools provided and the sharing of best practices allow for increased productivity from day one. As pointed out by Patrícia Rocha, Executive Director at the Manuel Violante Foundation:
"As soon as I finished the program, I drew on its learning to significantly adapt a training program that the Foundation makes available to social organizations, enhancing their impact on them and their social impact on the communities they serve."
It isn't always easy to make visible the heyday of our skills within an organization. But the reinforcement of the individual skills you put at the service of your team after training will be noticeable, and recognition of the effort to become a better professional will come as a consequence. The case of Luís Garcia, VP Marketing at OLAmobile, is an example of this:
"A few months after graduation I had a Project Director promotion for VP Marketing at OLAmobile, a technology group focused on mobile marketing and advertising technologies."
Participants in a training program are reinforced by technical and interpersonal skills that make a difference throughout their careers. Professors present real cases and discuss current topics, contributing to the review of business dogmas. José Carlos Queimado, General Director at S. Gonçalo Hospital, states that:
"The rigorous, dynamic, and current approach to the key dimensions of organizational leadership, often illustrated with real cases, has allowed me to revisit, consolidate, and learn concepts and tools of immediate utility for those who lead individuals and organizations of particular complexity. In short, an intense, enriching and remarkable formative experience."
Training, in addition to allowing us to update our knowledge, is a source of tools that help everyday tasks, including strategic decision-making. These are mostly timeless working tools in terms of importance, as Patrícia Rocha, Executive Director of the Manuel Violante Foundation tells us:
"All the learning I've been collecting throughout the several Nova SBE programs I've attended is compiled in a notebook I come to whenever a new challenge presents itself and a decision is made."
The daily life of each department often limits the holistic view of the business. Training makes it easier to achieve an integrated view of the different management topics. As João Carrasco, Senior Project Leader at Bayer explains:
"The program helped me to better understand how some fields of the company that I had little contact with (eg Finance) work and how it impacts my work as a team and area manager."
Training is equally important for the participant and the company. In addition to an increase in employee motivation after training, the exchange of experiences and knowledge collected during the program results in increased efficiency and productivity benefits to both parties. As João Viana of the Millennium BCP Presidency Office tells us:
"When I got back to the bank, I brought my colleagues in Marketing and Communication together and had a session showing everything I learned during the program."
Access to excellent professionals, from professors to colleagues, extends the participants' network of contacts, fostering the experiences and knowledge exchange as well as the relationship with new organizations from different sectors of activity, further enriching the moment of formation. As Nuno Garrido, Performance Manager at Galp points out:
"The program was an excellent experience in an open-minded environment whose networking allowed us to establish new business opportunities."
Training opens doors in professional life inside and outside your organization. Invitations to new challenges and internal promotion of participants are very frequent, leveraging career paths. Telma Guerreiro Candeias, Chief Compliance Officer at MetLife Iberia, says:
"In the weeks following the program I was involved in multinational planning projects aimed at developing projects to realize corporate values by 2020 and also in a local and regional leadership development program, so I could no longer be satisfied with the result I strongly recommend to all those who want to take a significant step forward in their professional development."
The daily life of the industry in which we operate often shapes our thought and limits the options that arise from it. Professors are allies in building a strategic vision that will confront the challenges of the future as soon as possible. As Filipe Vultos, Ph.D. Student at Instituto Superior Técnico tells us:
"I especially remember Professor João Silveira Lobo's classes in which I felt compelled to think 'outside the box' and where I opened my vision to new ways of facing and responding to a constantly changing world."
Lastly, training is primary to our professional development because it allows us, above all, to reflect. Everyday emergencies leave little time to question our own dogmas and review our professional goals. This exercise is particularly important for building a successful career path. Luís Almeida, Operations Director at Fisipe, points out that:
"In organizations, we are displaced by time, and it is important to take a break and stop to think."