Success appears through many windows, and it takes several paths or door openings to get there. There is the old line about the overnight success of a business, athlete, or individual and their organization, charity, or whatever. Typically, that “overnight success” was years if not decades in the making—long hours, training, trial and error, and small successes and failures along the way.
For me and the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists® it has been decades. Personally, my “success” has taken 35 years. And for Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists® , as a consulting agency, it has been over 23 years. Success is great when you get there, but you must maintain it—and that takes work.
I am not going to look at all the different elements that contribute to the success of a person or organization. I am just going to address one that I think (actually know based on experience) is critical and important—professional development and continuous learning/ training.
Over my career, the opportunity to continuously learn and gain insights has been tantamount to my success of today. Here are five key professional development activities that have contributed to and maintained my success over the years.
- Being a member of industry associations and active in them. It is one thing to pay an annual membership fee—it is quite another to become engaged. As a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada, and the Chamber of Commerce, I attend their functions when I can, and am involved in their conferences, events, and mentoring programs. I attend SMCC and AFP events in Victoria, Nanaimo, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver. I network and learn from other professionals.
- Attending and speaking at conferences and workshops. I have been in the business for 35 years, but still go to conferences and workshops to learn. Sure, I speak at a lot at events and get paid to do so, but I also take the opportunity to attend others’ sessions and learn from them. Part of the learning experience for more seasoned professionals is the speaking gigs. You not only give back, but also learn from others in the process. In the next two months, I am attending two conferences where I am not speaking. I am just paying to attend. Then, of course, there is Canada’s longest running sponsorship marketing focused conference (Western Sponsorship Congress) next month in Edmonton… the WSC® Alberta Forum.
- Mentorship programs. If you are new to the industry (less than five years or so), search out member association mentorship programs. If you are not a member (yes, I will shame you for not being a member… see #1 above), you can search out industry leaders and ask them to work with you as a mentor. Mentorship is a huge learning opportunity. On the other side, mentors learn as well. At present (my plate is full), I am engaged through SMCC and several AFP chapters, as well as at two independent secondary schools and three post-secondary institutions in their formal mentorship programs. In addition, I have six ongoing informal mentees that I meet with on a regular basis. Why do I do this? One is to give back, but I also learn from these amazing individuals. I understand their generational needs and issues, and also their views on the workplace and their career paths. It is fascinating and well worth the time invested.
- Reading industry periodicals and online content. Finally, to support my success through learning, I am an avid reader of industry newsletters, white papers, and magazines, and of course, online content published and shared. Through LinkedIn, Google Alerts, and industry paid subscriptions, I invest about eight hours a week reading and learning. There is much research and content readily available online, some free (and still worth it) and some paid access.
I hope these points help you on your road to success. Please feel free to reach out and connect if you want to talk with me about professional development paths that have worked the best for me.
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