Key to career development? Self-learning

Young professionals cannot be expected to grow into new and challenging roles and deliver great results if they do not have an understanding of what management demands.

Companies tend to embrace a very narrow approach to talent selection and development – you are hired for a very specific role, which you are expected to excel at without the benefit of getting the ‘complete picture’.

You have a passing understanding of critical warehouse operations, you are completely in the dark about how your supply chain operates and how sustainable it is, and you only interact with point-of-sales staff on occasion.

Narrow view

With this narrow view of how the different pieces of the puzzle fit together, anyone would base their decisions on the external validation we typically find in books, lectures and other people’s experiences, instead of on a good grasp of the internal workings of the business.

As a result, any plans and professional aspirations can only hope to pick up a small section of the company. We need to redefine talent development, especially in small and medium-sized companies.

My firm is constantly seeking to partner with platforms, such as the Global Management Challenge (GMC), that want to change how young people approach tasks at work.

Based on my experience in human resource development, I appreciate the fact that there are qualities that distinguish a run-of-the-mill employee from a star. At the top of my list is the drive and capacity to learn.

Self-learning is key to helping young professionals and entrepreneurs improve their decision-making skills. Self-learning helps people understand that they are not the solution, but part of the solution. And with this comes the understanding of how they can best use their strengths and leverage the skills in their team to make better decisions.

This naturally leads to a holistic understanding about how the entire business operates. You can challenge assumptions and decisions, and from a point of empathy, execute activities competently, but most importantly inject fresh ideas into the business.

When employees or entrepreneurs focus on development through self-learning, they are able to understand the impact their decisions will have on the bottom line, as well as across all elements of the business; you can promote solid growth.

By doing this, you consistently play the role of ‘manager’. This experimental approach also encourages people to adopt practical strategies and seek valuable information outside their immediate networks.

By encouraging constant learning, we create a new breed of leaders who are more accountable and who look at their roles as more than just a job.

Successes and failures

Through GMC, participants are able to appreciate how teams interact with each other in real-world scenarios, and how members contribute to each other’s successes and failures.

It can never be overstated that teamwork is essential for the success of any company. Such platforms need to be adopted by companies and our formal academic system. They embrace a concept as old as time: apprenticeship.

I wish I had access to such opportunities early in my career development. When I started my architectural practice, I came from a very technical background and had no understanding of what management was, or demanded. If I appreciated what it took to manage time, budgets and most importantly people, who knows where I would be today?

The writer is managing director, Profiles International TMS (K), which focuses on self-learning among young professionals.