Calling all women – especially those juggling children and work: don’t wait for someone else to offer you the chance to better yourself, to learn something, to be more. Do it yourself. Step up and take on your own personal development.
Yes, your employer should be investing more in you. But it hasn’t happened, or hasn’t been what you want to work on, or believe you need. So what are you doing about it?
Take ownership of your career, of your personal and professional development. Yes it might hit you in the wallet, but it’ll pay back many times over. Drive your progression yourself. You’ll go places.
81% of women who participated in a study say that access to the right development resources has provided them with the opportunity to develop their careers and, as a result, are 42% more likely to be promoted. As a result, 75% expect to further progress at their existing organisations.
One of the reasons this doesn’t happen as much as it could and should is that women tend to wait to be asked – ie they expect HR or management to offer or suggest training according to this McKinsey study.
Yes enabling women to put their hand up needs addressing – but my experience is that those who do have to jump through every decreasing circles – I’ll post an article about this at a later date. Little wonder then that these are the top reasons women in their 30s leave companies, according to this study by the International Consortium for Executive Development Research:
“I found a job elsewhere that pays more” 65%
“There are not enough opportunities for learning and development for me here” 62%
“The work here is not as interesting and meaningful as I would like” 56%
“There is not a fair balance between how hard I work and the compensation I receive” 56%
“We are starting a family. I would like to spend more time with them” 54%
Be the change you want for yourself. Be your own change. And start by learning things that will get you seen, heard and chosen. Whether it’s for a project, a promotion or as the provider of a product.
Are you going to invest in developing your career? This means spending money and time. Share your thoughts below. And no, life isn’t fair.
This is another DIY moment: Do It Yourself.
