Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Intercon Messaging’s highest priority is education. Education is first on our list of values, also included is innovation, fun, flexibility, respect and Integrity. I either read the quote or heard it somewhere but really started to understand that: “If people knew better they would do better”. From that day forward I started looking for ways to help people know what they needed to know to be the best they could possibly be in their workplace and in their life. That quote was the continuation of a journey to teach personal and professional development in our workplace. Intercon encourages lifelong learning.
In 2011 several of our people had the opportunity to attend courses and conferences away from the office. They had the opportunity to learn via webinars, conference calls and in house at staff meetings. We have 2 staff meetings each time so that information is available to all members of our team. We also had Elizabeth Manuel, a happiness expert come for 2 days so all staff had the opportunity to participate in Elizabeth’s very fun, interactive and meaningful happiness seminar. There are strategies and choices each of us can do and make to fundamentally increase our level of happiness. Probably one of the easiest is to say Thank you. Thank you for today, thank you for all the people in my life, thank you for the privileges and opportunities of living in the greatest province in the greatest country in the world. It is impossible to be unhappy if you are sitting and thinking about ten reasons to say Thank you. Chips are down? Times are tough? Find some things to be thankful for then it is easier for the tough to get going again!
For Intercon we will continue to provide opportunities and motivation for our people to progress on their own personal and professional journeys of lifelong learning and continuous improvement.
Characteristics of lifelong learners are:
They seek out formal and informal settings. They learn both in & out of a class setting.
A desire to set a better example and be the best they can be.
Goal setter; a lifelong learner has the ability to establish visions and directions and set goals to achieve these visions and directions.
Change agents; Learning requires change. They embrace change by being willing to adapt, try new things, explore new ideas and change to grow more as a person
Is a mentor for their peers
Are teachers themselves
Like to feel challenged in their work and personal life
Are insatiable knowledge seekers; curious – they wonder about how the world works and how to do things
Never think of themselves as the ultimate expert in anything; always keep a beginner’s mindset
Self-Awareness - they realize when they are actually learning and when they need to work a little more on an assignment
Honesty - this goes with self-aware, because effective learners won't skip over work just because it is hard, or tell themselves that they know it better than they really do
Expand their horizons through travel and/or learning about different places and cultures
Expand their network and meet new people in theirs and other fields
Ability to Be Self-Directed - they are able to motivate themselves and do the work without anyone telling them to do it
Don’t simply just take in information - they analyze, synthesize and or apply what they’ve learned
Willingness to Risk Mistakes - when you make a mistake, you learn a lot about why that didn't work and also about how to correct the mistake and do better next time
At Intercon we believe that if you grow your people, your people will grow your organization.