One Way to Keep Yourself Marketable

I remember the meeting well. Our small team sat around the conference room table watching the CEO talking via live stream. The big news was out. The downsizing had begun. Our division was still alive. It appeared as if we had a bright future, but there was still an uneasy feeling in my soul. The CEOs words, “keep your skills up” rang in my ears.

It seems like everywhere I turn I am getting a similar message. “Keep your skills up!”

Here’s what I mean.

I’ve been interviewing and observing people who have been successful in their careers and people who’ve made successful career transitions. I’ve been trying to learn why they’ve been successful. One big reason: they keep learning. Whether it’s You Tube videos, blogs, courses, or finding a mentor, going back to school - they’ve been intentional about learning.

Then, I came across this blog: Prioritizing Career Wellness in 2021. The article challenges employers to help their employees adapt and keep their skills up, not only for the benefit of the company, but for the well-being of the employees. A sentence that stood out to me was,

“Integrate career wellness and upskilling into the flow of work....by allowing and encouraging your employees to contribute outside of their job descriptions to internal gigs will help them learn within the flow of work, enabling learning and business problem solving to happen simultaneously.”

Not only will learning help us to be more marketable; learning helps our personal well-being!

One of the books I am reading is The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins. Chapter 2 of his book is entitled “Accelerate Your Learning.” Watkins writes, “Simply displaying a genuine desire to learn and understand translates into credibility and influence.”

What is your attitude toward learning?

Does thinking about learning conjure up stress, heaviness, and overwhelm?

Excitement, possibility, and hope?

Or are you somewhere between these two extremes?

In this blog series I'll cover foundational topics that will increase your motivation to learn and help you create a learning plan that works for you. Stay tuned for next week’s blog.

Ready to learn now. Try my free Mini Course: Five Simple Strategies to Step Forward.