Self-Investment

 The world is a learning library – How do you create your laboratory?

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending a Self-Investment seminar put on by the LEAP Program. LEAP stands for Leadership Education & Advancement Pipeline. It is a 10-month seminar series designed for women who have an interest in bettering themselves professionally and personally.

Brooke Benschoter was the presenter. She is a firm believer in personal branding and involved in numerous organizations, including the Des Moines Leadership Institute and the Moxie Exchange Movement. 

Brooke began the seminar by asking us what kind of mindset do we have; fixed or growth? People who have a fixed mindset believe their intelligence or talents are fixed traits, but people with a growth mindset believe brains and talent are a starting point and can be developed through dedication and hard work. There are people who are one or the other, but there are also people who are both. Once you determine your mindset you will succeed and achieve your goals.

 She then asked us what our goals were, both professional and personal and how we think we could accomplish these goals by the end of the year. All of us at the table shared a nervous glance at each other because our number one concern was time and how limited it is. We all thought there is no way we could accomplish all of our goals by the end of the year. Brooke then pointed out that unless we are intentional about our learning, we will mostly likely not be focused where we need and want to be. She then asked us to answer the following questions to help set our focus on our goals for our learning this year:

• What do I need to learn and what skills do I need to develop to stay relevant this year? (Necessity)
• What do I need to learn and what skills do I need to develop to prepare me for my next opportunity? (Proactive)
• What do I want to learn and what skills do I want to develop because I have an interest? (Fun, Rejuvenation)
• What learning and development resources and tools am I going to use to support my learning habit this year? (i.e. Rock Your Moxie workshops, internal training, books, courses, conferences,blogs…)

To achieve these goals, Brooke provided us four power moves to actively change our lives. The four Power Moves are:

1.) Turn off electronics OR keep track of how much time you spend on each device

• If you must be on the internet, read something more informative like a blog or news articles rather than surfing Facebook for hours on end

2.) Join a club

• Benefits of joining a club:
• You surround yourself with like-minded people
• People are open -- they are willing to share their information at NO cost

3.) Full on 45

• For 45 days commit to taking action on one or more of your learning goals
• Track your progress
• Ask a friend to be an accountability partner so you stay on track. You may even inspire them to take their own action

4.) Ask yourself: What did I learn today?

• Ask this every day and be sure to answer yourself
• Also ask yourself, what are my growth questions?

I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about leadership skills take a look at the LEAP program and attend a seminar. I thoroughly enjoyed the Self-Investment seminar and am excited to attend others throughout the LEAP series. I believe Brooke provided me with the necessary tools and resources for me to begin my self-investment journey. I am very excited to get started!