A motto that I live by is “when you learn, teach and why you teach, learn’.
When You Learn, Teach
I am a strong proponent of service and ‘paying it forward’. Everyone needs a little help. We all have a story to tell and have learned lessons that can help or inspire others. “When you learn, teach” is a call to action to teach share your wisdom and teach your life lessons to others. Share the stories of how you overcame obstacles or created a new process to save yourself time or money. Teach the skills you have learned to those who are ready to learn. To put it another way – lift as you climb.
When You Teach, Learn
When you teach, learn has a double meaning to me.
The first is to keep learning and growing as you help others learn and grow. Professional development is essential to every manager’s long-term career advancement as well as to acquiring and maintaining top quality, in-demand skills. If you want to remain professionally competitive, do not neglect your professional skills development by only focusing on developing your team.
The second meaning of “when you teach, learn” has to do with learning from the people you are teaching and supervising. As I stated before, every one of us has learned or experienced something worth sharing. Active listening is a powerful management tool. I view a willingness to learn from your subordinates as a sign of maturity, confidence, and respect.
I love a professional challenge. Additionally, I have learned and exercised new and different skills while managing different people. I have been taught lessons by some who didn’t even realize they had become one of my teachers. Some people taught me patience, others taught me gratitude, while others may have helped me to become more compassionate. Working with difficult employees and interns has taught me to keep detailed records, communicate more effectively, distribute work more equitably, and value my education and training more.
What is a motto that you utilize in your personal or professional life?
Nicki Sanders, MSW, is a travel and cupcake lover with a passion for self-discovery and career development. She has a strong background in developing and managing interns and successful internship programs. She is an accomplished manager, professor, coach, trainer, and group facilitator who has packaged her Master of Social Work degree and 20 years of diverse work experience into Packaged For Success, a full service training and professional development company.
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