Taking ownership of your personal development is important. No one can argue with that – and certainly not your manager.
Yet, many of us feel awkward asking our managers for personal development opportunities.
So, to make things easy for you, we’ve collated some tips from the community on how to go about it.
1) Do your homework, in detail.
Coming with suggestions shows you are serious about the request. We have loads of amazing courses and workshops coming up that you can pick from. Also review other options – show you’ve got underway with your own initiative reading books and blogs.
2) Demonstrate the business benefits SUPER CLEARLY.
Showing that you understand the skill gaps that the course would be filling (or even building on) and how this will help business results directly and tie it back to company goals. Position the course as an investment, not an expense. If the course helps you increase growth of your brand by even a tiny amount, it pays for itself.
3) Meet them half way.
Agree to do it outside of work hours or even to fund a small proportion yourself. Showing you are sharing the load will demonstrate your commitment. Suggest if you leave within six months then you’ll pay a higher percentage of it back.
4) Chat to someone who has done the course.
Not only is this is the best way to really work out whether a course is right for you or not, it is also a great way to convince your boss that you’ve really done your homework.
