“I’ve been to so many trainings, I already know all of this.”

Ugh. Hearing someone say they don’t have anything to learn makes me sad, and it makes me kind of angry. It makes me empathetic too. I guess I have a lot of emotions about people who stop learning because they sell themselves short. They sell their employers short too.

In the three decades that I’ve been facilitating professional development trainings, I’ve heard various versions of I already know this. I think the reasons people say it are what really matters.

  • I am a disengaged employee because I work for a leader with poor leadership skills.
  • I was forced to be here (no one told me why it’s important).
  • I have too much other stuff to do (being here makes me feel more overwhelmed).
  • I don’t want to be outside of my comfort zone.
  • The company does this every year and nothing ever changes.
  • The people who really need this aren’t here.
  • I have one foot out of the door and don’t really care about learning.

The list of reasons goes on. Nonetheless, development opportunities are precisely that – opportunities. Opportunities to learn. Opportunities to do better. You get to choose whether you take the opportunity or not. So, why not take it?

You hold yourself back when you don’t take opportunities to learn.

The next time your company holds a training, volunteer or mandatory, don’t sell yourself short. Learn something. Find the nugget (or nuggets) that will grow your skillset and make you an even better employee.

If you are a leader, get your team the training they need to be motivated, skilled, and awesome!

If your company isn’t offering professional development training, ask for it. Find something exciting to learn and explain to your boss why and how the company should invest in it or invest in YOU!