All over the country, kids and college students are going back to classes. It’s time for us, as businesspeople, to start learning again, too.
Once we’re through with school, we may also think we’re through with the chance to learn new things. But in all of life, and especially in business, continual learning keeps us fresh, competitive, motivated.
Fortunately, there are many ways to keep learning that don’t involve signing up for semester-long courses.
1. Short classes. You don’t have to spend 10 weeks to learn a new skill or improve an existing one.
2. Join an entrepreneurs’ group. Virtually every community in America has networking, entrepreneur, and community business organizations.
3. Go to a trade show. You can attend seminars, check out new products and services, see what the competition is up to, and get re-energized.4. Read business books. Books are a fast, cheap, and completely portable way to keep learning, on your schedule.
5. Read the business section of newspapers. Every businessperson should read - or at least skim -the business section of their local newspaper every day.
6. Play around with new technology. Today, technology is a core component of every business, so don’t think of it as “goofing off” when you set aside time and money to get new hardware, software, or learn new Internet skills.
7. Search the Web. Find a topic you’d like to learn more about (e.g., marketing, human resources, business planning) and start searching.
Continual learning keeps you fresh, motivated, and competitive. And unlike the kids going back to school, you don’t have to worry about grades.
Photo by akeg.
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