Facilitate Magazine January 2020

Progression,not repetition

I hope you had a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year and feel refreshed, ready to tackle the months ahead. That or perhaps you’re glad to return to work after a frantic few weeks.

As we return to reality, we face not only a new year but a new decade fraught with known and unknown challenges; likewise, however, they are replete with opportunities that our profession is best placed to advise and capitalise on.

These include but aren’t limited to building safety, sustainability, reducing the built environment’s carbon footprint, social value, workforce wellbeing, technological applications and advancements, and skills. Foremost in my mind right now, and most pertinent for this time of year when many are setting themselves targets for the year, is skills – particularly continual professional development or CPD.

When opportunities arise, you need to ensure you’re best placed to seize them by blending your valuable experience with the latest knowledge and skills.

Learning is critical to maintain our relevance in today’s world of work. Our brains give us a shot of natural opiates when we learn. This is the buzz of the ‘aha’ moment and can, quite literally, be addictive, as seen in inveterate learners.

The extra effort of learning may mean that we put off learning until we have time and energy for the task; however, beware of avoiding learning. It is better to be a ‘learning junkie’ and relevant than a ‘dodo’ and irrelevant and ultimately extinct.

Make 2020 your year and elevate both yourself and our profession.

Linda Hausmanis is CEO of the IWFM