“NOTHING WILL WORK UNLESS YOU DO.” –MAYA ANGELOU

Often, we hear people refer to this lovely quote when we are stuck in a rut. Or the famous line, you must persevere. Although this applies to our personal lives and whatever we could be going through at the time, it applies to our careers as well.

            None of the best business tycoons got to where they are today without working hard.  We all know that. But one factor that often goes unnoticed or is not given much thought is how all of the successful men and women swear by one common factor: they are always learning.

            According to The Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates carries around a tote bag full of books everywhere he goes. He roughly reads about a book a week. To some of us this seems unrealistic. How does he find the time? In an interview he said to dedicate the time because reading and education is that important. He suggests that you dedicate a full hour if you are going to sit down and read. That active reading is not something that can be done in five or ten minutes at a time, it takes conscious thinking.

            We often do not realize that in order to continue educating ourselves, we should dedicate time and effort to what we want to learn. Much like what Bill Gates says to do when reading. A lot of individuals will take on the mentality that there is no need for continuing education. If this person is in leadership this could cause a companywide extension of the same belief that continuing to learn, does not matter.

            This can create a toxic work culture that cannot easily be undone and can hinder the progress of the company.  So how do we implement learning into our workplace?

            Here at TJS we suggest training seminars. Every one of our employees becomes AAADM certified so we can ensure the best automatic door service to all of our customers. Other industries will also require safety training to ensure all of their employees are properly educated. There are other certifications that employees can be encouraged to take depending on what department they are in.  

Some companies value furthering an employee’s education so much that they will help them acquire an MBA. Encouraging employees to further their education will only better the company, not hinder it. Just like continuing to learn will only make you a better employee or leader.

Bill Gates Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTFy8RnUkoU