Feeling The Stretch? (Let's Talk About Continuous Upskilling)

Ever feel like your brain is shrinking and you're losing your edge? If so, it might be that you’re not stretching yourself enough. It’s time to dust off your mental fitness gear and get into shape.

We’ve pulled together some tips on exercises you can complete to help with this.

Getting In Shape

Learning & Upskilling: learning something new is a great way to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. It takes you out of autopilot and means your brain has to work harder. The benefit? You grow! Some examples of ways you can do this are:

• Attend a conference/workshop/event
• Join and/or lead a project
• Read/listen/watch a book/podcast/video
• Attend a training course/programme
• Pursue further formal studies (university)

Knowledge Sharing: if you’ve become so experienced in your role you feel like you can do it with your eyes closed, it’s time to put that to the test. A quote by John C. Maxwell says “You never really know something until you teach it to someone else”. Teaching someone else not only helps test how much you truly know but it invites new perspectives you may not have considered previously perhaps through thought provoking questions from your audience or from having to tailor your delivery to adapt to different learning styles. You could:

• Deliver a presentation, lunch & learn etc.
• Publish a think piece (thought leadership)
• Be a speaker at an industry event
• Become a mentor

Networking: as they say, “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17, Bible). Getting connected with like-minded people as well as those who inspire you provides an avenue of stretch for yourself. As you engage with people in this category, it’ll challenge you to go further. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Attend a conference/round table
• Join a social or employee resource group
• Build your social media network

Reflection & Awareness: finally, there’s no growth without reflection. An important aspect of stretching yourself is self-discovery and self-awareness. You need to be able to learn from your experiences to move forward. Doing this challenges you to recognise you are not perfect and that growth is possible even where you’ve failed or missed the mark. Examples of measures you can put in place to strengthen your capabilities in this area are:

• Request feedback
• Get a mentor

We designed our Stretch Yourself Action Planner to help you with this process. Download our template from our resources library to start planning your exercises.

What are your favourite exercises to stretch yourself? Leave a comment below to share your recommendations.