Barbara Babcock is a learning and development professional with expertise in instructional design and learning technologies. She currently serves as the Chief Learning Strategist for BA Babcock & Associates, LLC.

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Barbara Babcock

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October 01, 2019

Overcoming Professional Development Constraints

Corporate Worker Jumping Hurdles

I have two questions for my colleagues in the learning and development field:

  • Are you in your dream job right now?
  • If not, why not?

Deloitte’s most recent Global Human Capital Trends report identifies the need to improve organizational learning and development as the top-rated concern this year. LinkedIn describes the L&D industry as being at the tipping point, with increased budgets and executive support for talent development.

Given the level of interest in our work, why aren’t more L&D professionals pursuing career development opportunities? Are we so focused on helping others to succeed that we forget about ourselves?

Karolina Roziewicz, a Learning Strategist & Designer, describes herself as an outlier when it comes to professional development.

“I’m a born learner, and it’s the most natural thing in the world to me. When I want to learn something, I just do. And I have always been able to find time,” she states.

Karolina is the kind of person who sees barriers as a challenge to be conquered rather than a stopping point. She admits that, “I might be an overachiever.”

A charge-ahead-no-matter-what mindset may not come naturally to all of us. Let’s look at how L&D specialists can overcome four common barriers to professional development to give their own careers a lift.

Barrier 1: Lack of Focus

If you can think of fifteen things you’d love to learn or have fifteen things being requested of you on a regular basis, but can’t decide which is your top priority, you may never advance beyond where you are right now. That’s not just a shame, it’s career suicide. The World Economic Forum estimates that over five million current jobs will be lost to automation within the next six years; many of the roles that will replace them are still being invented.

Use professional development as the foundation for your own career longevity. Start by identifying your organization’s current and long-term strategic goals. Align your development activities to your employer’s needs. And find allies in lines of business to help you build a business case.  If you still have trouble narrowing your focus down to one area, find a mentor who can steer you towards the best learning resources and guide you on your development path.

Barrier #2: Lack of Time

Some days your schedule is so jam-packed it’s impossible to add anything. We get that! Career development takes time and unless you’re willing to do everything outside of work hours, you need to carve out time during the business day for your own benefit.

If your schedule includes a meal break, enjoy your sandwich with a side of learning at a brown bag webinar. Can you trade tasks with a co-worker? If so, have them cover for you then return the favor while they pursue their own development.

Remember that time can be both a problem and a solution. Prioritize your goals so that you actually use the hours you allocate for professional development. Set a timeline for completion for each development task and report your progress to your leader. Have a Plan B to make up for any missed deadlines.

Barrier #3 Funding

Building a quality L&D team requires investment in learning management systems, licenses, and personnel. Funding for professional development has often been a lower priority. However, this may be changing.

According to LinkedIn, closing skills gaps is a top focus for talent developers in 2019. Only 27% of organizations surveyed called “limited budget” a serious challenge for L&D.

Talk to your manager or HR leader to find out what support may be available for professional development activities, and what restrictions exist on funding. For example, HR may administer a tuition assistance program that requires you to maintain a minimum GPA for reimbursement. The L&D department may be able to pay for membership in a professional association but not for specific classes.

Funding for professional development may be allocated competitively. Be prepared to make a business case to show the ROI or benefit your proposal brings to the organization.

Barrier #4: No Real Learning Culture

Most of us agree that L&D serves a purpose in the workplace. We don’t always agree on what that purpose is or how much weight its purpose should carry.

If your organization considers training something that only happens during your first two weeks on the job, you may not have a true learning culture. If compliance training consists of signing off on a form, or if the standard answer to any question is, “Because that’s the way we do it,” you probably don’t have a true learning culture.

This is one of the trickiest barriers to overcome since professional development (or possibly any new idea) has the potential to be seen as a disruptor. In this situation, you will literally have to be the change you want to see.

Look for ways to embed development activities within existing job roles and programs. Explain how training programs can build skills that contribute to overall goals and revenue gains. Present learning as a typical business function and show expected improvements attributable to development to overcome any pre-existing bias against learning.

Conclusion

True learning is never a one-and-done proposition. There is no way to anticipate all potential objections you may encounter. Start by finding out types of development activities your employer has supported in the past. Position yourself as a partner in the organization’s success and share your new knowledge and skills freely to show the true benefit of professional development.

 

 

References

2019 Workplace Learning Report. Retrieved from https://learning.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/amp/learning-solutions/images/workplace-learning-report-2019/pdf/workplace-learning-report-2019.pdf

 

Gray, A. (2016, Jan 19). 5 Million Jobs To Be Lost By 2020. Retrieved from  https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/5-million-jobs-to-be-lost-by-2020/

 

Learning in the Flow of Life. Retrieved from

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2019/reskilling-upskilling-the-future-of-learning-and-development.html

 

Vassar, D. (2018, July 25). Five Tips for Presenting Professional Development to Your Boss. Retrieved from https://glasscock.rice.edu/blog/five-tips-presenting-professional-development-your-boss

 

Barbara Babcock is a learning and development professional with expertise in instructional design and learning technologies. She currently serves as the Chief Learning Strategist for BA Babcock & Associates, LLC.

Written by

Barbara Babcock

Topics

Enterprise learning and development report