Unless you’ve reached the highest level of seniority in your given profession, there will always be plenty of people more knowledgeable and experienced than you. Rather than competitors, these individuals may well be wonderful mentors and teachers, helping to show you the ropes as the next generation of manager or senior employee in your field. But how can you find these people and engage with teachers to make progress in your career? This article sets out to answer that question, showing you how you’ll locate the best teachers to take your career to the next level.
Universities
There are a litany of brilliant teachers at universities across the world. But the ones you’re looking for specifically are those who have spent time in the industry before choosing to assume a seat as a professor or lecturer at an academic institution. These are particularly valuable teachers because they can apply what they learned in their job to how they teach their pupils.
This is a prime example of what’s called experiential learning. What is experiential learning? Well, it’s the name given to the process of learning not through textbooks and exams but through personal experience or through the experience of others. Not only do these teachers feel more inspiring, but they have real-world and hands-on experiences to share with you to inform your future career choices.
You Firm
Meanwhile, there may be mentors a lot closer to home than you can ask to help you in your career. This is especially the case in larger firms, where there will be plenty of senior managers who may be interested in taking you under their wing and showing you how you can make great strides in your career. The only way to access these professionals is to ask – and you’ll be surprised at the reaction you get.
Of course, senior managers in your firm will be busy with their own tasks. So you shouldn’t expect them to take a great chunk out of their working week to sit down with you and instruct you on how you can learn on the job. But you may find that a personal contact will help you in your moments of need – even via a simple email asking for help.
Events
Finally, there are always events that you can attend in order to learn from business leaders and motivational speakers or industry insiders who are willing to share with you their tips on how to get ahead. These events range from large conferences to one-to-one tuition classes and everything in between.
Finding events such as these is easy. You can search directly through Google, or you can follow individuals and training companies on social media so that you’re always up to date on when certain speakers will be appearing at the lectern. Join mailing lists, too, so that you’re kept in the loop for future events.
Make the most of the people
around you, either through online learning, through senior colleagues, or
through relevant events, in order to make progress in your career.