Self Development Is Important Because Without Developing An Individual From Within We Add Skills To An Unstable Foundation.
We can all agree that training is important to ensure that a person becomes competent in what they are expected to do.
Training is also a legal requirement under Health & Safety Legislation and because employers have a duty of care towards their staff and others, training plays an important role in keeping everyone safe.
So if simply giving someone the appropriate training course was all that was needed, why do trained people not use the training that they have been given? Why do trained people not produce the results expected of them by their employers and why when things go wrong do we hear the old mantra “they didn’t follow their training” (which means it was ultimately the member of staff’s fault and not the training per se).
Also, if training was all it took to make people more successful why doesn’t it work if all they had to do was follow what they had been taught?
Self Esteem and Success and Success Is a State of Mind
In previous posts I wrote about ‘Self Esteem and Success’ and that ‘Success is a State of Mind’ to highlight some areas that give us an insight into that question, but here’s a fact:
If you don’t develop the person first, skills training will have little effect. You have to start from the inside out. You have to develop yourself or the person you intend to train first. That means teaching them about personal development. How they can develop themselves to become better versions of themselves.
As Jim Rohn famously said:
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
Self-Education And Self Development Are The Foundation Blocks of Achievement And Success
Once a person has mastered the art of self-development then any additional skills training that you give them, for example,to enable them to do a task, operate machinery, manage others or (in our world) physically intervene to control another human being, is an investment well made.
But add the task training (i.e: operate machinery, manage others or physically intervene to control another human being) onto a person who hasn’t been developed from the inside out and it is a poor investment with little or no return on investment. And that creates more work.
The ‘Undeveloped Person’
The undeveloped person has to be micromanaged because it is believed that they can’t be ‘trusted’. The undeveloped person generally works in an atmosphere or fear. Fear of ‘big brother’ watching their every move, fear of embarrassment, ridicule and discipline and none of this is productive. The reason is people who are expected to work in such conditions will be less effective and efficient.
But what do we mean by ‘effective’ and ‘efficient’. I mean we hear these words a lot, but what do they actually mean?
What Does Being Effective and Efficient Mean?
To be ‘effective’ means to be able to successfully in producing a desired or intended result.
To be ‘efficient’ means to be able to achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
So, if we fail to develop the person from within we end up producing someone who is less effective and less efficient than they could potentially be. Financially that loses industry money which ultimately affects our economy. Personally and professionally that costs the individual in terms of how much they feel valued and the less they feel valued the less productive they will become.
In contrast, the self-developed person is a confident person. They are motivated and work well unsupervised. They are more effective because they don’t live in fear.
Self Development Is More Than Positive Thinking
Self-development is more than positive thinking. Self development is about integrity, which is one of the most important values a person can have.
A person with integrity can also be trusted because they are honest and trustworthy.
In the business world where marketing and sales are important honesty and trust are vital and if you don’t think that you are in sales, think again.
If you are in a job you have had to sell yourself to get that job. If you are a minister of a church you have to sell the benefits of your faith otherwise church attendance will fall. If you run a charity shop you have to sell to support your charity and finally, if you find someone you want to have a relationship with you have to sell yourself as a person worth being with.
You see, if people ‘like’ you they will listen to you, but if they trust you they will do business with you.
Is Positive Thinking Important?
Absolutely! Positive thinking is definitely better than negative thinking. Positive thinking will put you in the right state of mind to allow you to take action. For example a student who thinks positive is more likely to do the study necessary to get the grades and qualifications they need.
An employee who uses positive thinking is likely to be more effective and efficient and therefore more productive and more likely to get promoted or find a better paid job, especially when compared to an employee who is negative.
Positive thinking will help you develop yourself from within. It will enable you to take the action necessary to help you become the better version of the person you were truly made to be.
The Importance of Integrity
Integrity is hugely important, but how do you develop integrity? You develop integrity by self development. You develop integrity by increasing your self-esteem and self-worth. You develop integrity by encouraging yourself and others and by showing them and you what they are truly capable of.
This is why self-development is important and this is why at the beginning of every BTEC Level 3 Restraint Instructor and BTEC Level 3 Self-Defence Instructor Award Course I spend the first part of the first few days helping those who come to train with us develop themselves from the inside out.
I show them how their minds affect their body and how their thoughts affect their performance. I show them how the words they use and the story they tell themselves affects their output. I give them an insight into how the information they choose to take in affects their outlook, which in turn affects their output which decides how effective they can be.
This gives us a more developed person to teach the skills to which makes them a better trainer and person.
Quantum Thinking and Marks Mind F*** Training
I’m also looking to run some ‘Quantum Thinking Training’ in the new year which is also known as ‘Marks Mind F***’ Training.
I have previously delivered this training to large corporates to help their staff realise what they are truly capable of. It has helped reduce absenteeism and it improves staff morale and confidence.
It is real mental health first aid but with a much better output.
So if that is of interest to you let me know by leaving a comment below. If it isn’t of interest to you then you really need to attend it!
Change Your Mind, Change Your Life
You see if you change your mind you literally change your life and you can start right now.
Listen to audiobooks or read books that are inspirational, that will teach you new things about yourself and what you are capable of.
Watch programmes that do the same.
Remember this, your mind is a muscle and if you train it the right way it will give you the right output.
To get the output you desire you have to provide your mind with the right input. Garbage in = garbage out. Good stuff in = good stuff out.
Only take advice and counsel from people who have achieved what you want to achieve. Now that sounds crazy. Why would you do that? Yet so many people do. They take business advice from people who have never run a business, and what’s even crazier is the fact that they believe that advice!
We have never lived in an age where knowledge and wisdom from the greats has been so freely available. Success leaves footprints. It leaves a route for you to follow. There are books, audio training programmes and videos courses from some of the most successful people who have ever lived. Take advantage of that.
At the end of the day the choice is yours! Use it wisely!
Have a great day.