The Value in Challenging Yourself – A Letter From REB’s President

No matter what industry you are in, chances are your work environment is rapidly evolving due to new trends or technologies. This makes it essential to continually challenge yourself to learn and stay up to date with the new programs and processes that are introduced.

It’s normal to feel apprehensive when you’re first learning something. The more you challenge yourself and put effort into developing and enhancing your current and new skills, the more confidence you gain in your abilities. It’s important to designate time for professional development.

Our company sets up cross-department training and encourages our employees to understand the full scope of each project from conception to completion. I think cross-department training is extremely important. It helps challenge our team members to look at projects through different lenses and ask questions to gain a better understanding of the requirements. This also allows our team to be more knowledgeable and confident in not only their individual role but also in our company’s processes.

Our company also encourages employees to attend department-specific off-site training. This allows employees to attend conferences, training sessions and/or networking opportunities that will help them gain valuable insight to changing industry trends and technologies. It is important to give our employees these opportunities because they provide professional development specific to their roles, but it also challenges them to take on new perspectives from others within the same industry.

When you allow time to challenge and develop your skills, you are also allowing yourself to set higher goals and standards for your performance. The more you challenge yourself, the more valuable you become.

– Lori L. Palmer, President, REB Storage Systems International