A student is sitting at his laptop, doing work on continuous learning.

The Benefits of Being a Lifelong Learner 

Posted On April 20, 2022 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Career Development, Professional Development /  

Imagine you go to see your doctor about this headache you’ve been having, and he tells you some startling news: “You need brain surgery.” 

Your doctor refers you to the best brain surgeon in the country. This guy has an advanced degree, spent seven years in residency and another three years in post-doctoral fellowship training. He’s been board-certified in brain surgery for 20 years and has done hundreds of successful procedures. 

You’re understandably nervous (because well, brain surgery), but you’re confident in this surgeon, because with all his education and experience, he must know everything there is to know about brain surgery!  

The truth is, even the most experienced, qualified surgeons are always learning. They’re required to complete continuing education credits throughout their entire career just to stay licensed. And with all the advances in technology, they’re constantly being trained on new medical devices and innovations in their field.

The point is, no one is ever done learning — even the most brilliant, accomplished among us. The most successful people are lifelong learners, who know there are always more questions to ask and knowledge to gain. (Also, don’t worry, your brain is probably fine.)

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Multi-Cultural Office Staff Sitting Having Meeting Together

4 Steps to Starting an Employee Resource Group

Posted On August 18, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

An Employee Resource Group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led group that aligns with a company’s mission and helps foster a safe and supportive working environment and professional development opportunities for specific groups of employees. ERGs are important to the creation of more inclusive workplace cultures. 

As Aiko Bethea writes in the Harvard Business Review: “Typically organized around a shared identity, such as race, gender, age, or mental health, they serve as a haven of belonging, offering a space for underrepresented employees to find one another, stave off a sense of isolation, and experience a reprieve from the daily aggressions they’ve endured at work.” 

Many companies today have active ERGs, but since they’re employee-led groups, it’s not a given that your company has any, or, that they cater to your specific demographic or interest. If you’d like to be part of a group that doesn’t currently exist in your organization, why not start one! 

Here are four steps along with some handy tips from the experts for getting your ERG off the ground.

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How to Start a Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Posted On August 11, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

More and more companies are beginning to take notice of the importance of social responsibility today, and are realizing how much it matters to both their employees and customers. While many larger companies do offer some form of corporate giving or philanthropy, many organizations still don’t have a formal program in place, and lack any kind of employee-led initiatives.

If your organization doesn’t provide any formal opportunities for volunteering or charitable giving, have you ever thought about taking the initiative to start a program yourself? Some of the best corporate programs were originally started by an employee who wanted to make a difference.

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Finding Purpose and Engagement at Work

Posted On August 4, 2021 By Nicole Klemp In Blog Articles, Professional Development /  

Most of us will spend about a third of our lives at work. (That’s literally thousands of Monday mornings.) So being engaged and passionate about what we do can really impact our quality of life. 

Your ideal job should give you a feeling of purpose and allow you to engage in interesting work with people you like (or can at least tolerate) and bosses that respect you and treat you well. If one or more of those factors aren’t hitting the mark, you could be at risk for disengagement.

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