I recently facilitated a virtual program about creating a development plan for your professional and career development.

I shared a story with the participants that my employers, on average, invested $10,000 per year in my development.

You should have seen the look of disbelief on their faces!

I am not exaggerating. This is 100% true.

How did I do it?

I ASKED!

More specifically, I did some homework to prepare myself, boost my confidence, and create a compelling business case that made it a “no-brainer” for them to say YES!

Is your organization investing in you and your development? 

Here are some guidelines to help you “do your homework” and influence your organization to SAY YES TO INVESTING IN YOU!

Step 1: Shift Your Mindset
Stop thinking about your development as a budgetary expense. It’s an INVESTMENT. You and your employer will get a RETURN on that investment that will continue to pay dividends throughout your tenure with the company.  

Step 2: Identify What’s In It for Your Employer
As you explore coaching, training programs, conferences, professional certifications, or other development activities, think about how they align with your company’s needs. Ask yourself how this investment might support an organizational goal, help overcome a current challenge, stimulate innovation or benefit your employer in another way. If you can’t make the connection, neither will your employer.

Step 3: Build a Business Case
Develop your talk track for the conversation with your manager. I like to create a “benefits bullet list” to keep in front of me during the conversation. Creating this list of benefits boosted my confidence, and by the time I finished writing it, I thought, “How could they say no to this?”

To help get you started, here are some ideas for your list:

Goal Alignment: I’ve been thinking about this organizational or individual goal, and this program will help us achieve the goal.

Solution: I’ve been thinking about this problem we’re experiencing, and this program will help us figure out a solution.

Innovation: We need some fresh ideas, and this conference will allow me to learn about and evaluate new trends in our industry to help us get ahead of the curve.

Teach Backs: You’re not only investing in me; this is an investment in the team. I will share my knowledge and experiences with the team. (Pro Tip: Set a date and time after the event in which you commit to delivering training to the team).

Evaluation: This program would be a great addition to our professional / leadership / technical development activities. I’ll attend it to learn from it and provide an evaluation to help us decide whether we should send others to it in the future.

Networking: In addition to the education, I’ll also have the opportunity to meet people….

• To recruit to join our company
• To build relationships with potential customers or suppliers
• To benchmark their companies and share ideas with
• To tap into after the event for expert advice

Step 4: Ask
Schedule some time to meet with your boss. Think about the timing of your ask, and if possible, make your request at a time of year your boss is most likely to say yes. For example, at the beginning of the year, your boss is probably working on annual goals, performance reviews, and career conversations. You may already have a meeting on the calendar to discuss your development – what a perfect time to make your request!

It’s CRITICAL to approach the conversation with CONFIDENCE and ENTHUSIASM. Emotions are contagious, and if you project confidence and enthusiasm, your boss will pick up on those emotions, making it easier to say “yes.”

Step 5: Deliver the Return on Investment
This magical step sets you up for ONGOING INVESTMENTS in your development. Deliver on your promises to apply what you learned, teach others, and achieve results for the company. And talk about it with your boss. Every time you apply something you learned, thank your boss for the investment and share stories that help your boss realize that you are someone worth investing in, over and over again! 

Step 5 is the key reason why my employers invested so much in me year after year. I developed a consistently positive track record of delivering a return on investment.

Do you need help?
I’m particularly passionate about advocating for continuous professional development. So, if you still think you could never ask your employer to invest in you, then let’s work on your strategy together. 

Wishing you the best!