From DISC to DIY

12 Nov, 2020

How has our personal development training helped our Business Development Specialist, Stacey Humm, through both this pandemic and re-decorating her kitchen?

During half term I decided on the spur of the moment to redecorate my kitchen.  Madness with two kids around you may say? Yes. Definitely. Nothing to do with work?  No, possibly not.  But then I got to thinking.

Let me take you back a step.  I’ve been working in a professional capacity for 15 years now (pretty much to the day as I started work as a trainee solicitor on 18th September 2005).  Throughout that time I’ve done various professional training courses, CPD, coaching and professional development modules but I think it’s fair to say I’ve done more of that in the last 3 years that I’ve been with ISO Quality Services than ever before.

ISO QSL place a big emphasis on personal and professional development.  In fact, investment in our people is really high on our list of business priorities.  Sometimes I see another meeting pop into my diary and I groan.  I don’t always instantly see the reason for the meeting, why I need to attend and there is sometimes a feeling that it is simply taking me away from my day job.

To give you an example, here is just some of the training/personal development we as a team have undergone in the last three years:

  • Product knowledge
  • R&D Tax credits
  • DISC analysis
  • Mindfulness workshop
  • Prioritisation of tasks
  • The Power of Vision
  • Mental toughness
  • Goal Setting
  • Personal Values
  • Sales training
  • Excel
  • Leadership in disruptive times
  • The psychology of remote working to name but a few….

On top of this we have quarterly reviews where we all have to set goals (which we call Rocks) for the forthcoming quarter.

This seems like an awful lot when you get it down on paper. And it is. I’ll confess that sometimes I’ve wondered how much I actually use all this training.  The direct work-related training is a no brainer.  Obviously, I need to know how to use our CRM, what our processes are, how our business is doing, how I am to perform my role and so on.  But the other stuff, ummm, I wasn’t so sure.

However, more and more throughout this pandemic I have appreciated and seen the benefits of some of the personal development training I have received.

When I was decorating my kitchen, I was acutely aware of some of the things I’d learnt about myself from our DISC analysis.  Firstly, I am a high A/red.  This means I’m very task focused so I like to get a job done but I’m not too focussed on the details (not sure what that says about me as a lawyer but let’s not go there).  As a consequence, I hate the preparation work before painting.  This time, I made sure I did the prep work right even though I hated it and just wanted to crack on with the job! I am also not great at allowing others into the process.  But we were on a tight timescale and in true me fashion (according to DISC) I’d overestimated my abilities so I had to let my hubby get involved even though I’d rather have the control and get on with the job alone!

Following on from this, I’ve re-read my DISC report with renewed eyes!

The other bit of training I have found really useful recently is our personal goal setting.   It’s not something I’ve really ever taken the time to do on a personal level.  To be honest, it was an uncomfortable session at times having to think deeply about what I want out of life.  But really, it’s given me so much food for thought about what I’m trying to achieve.  With lots of time at home over the coming weeks I’m going to spend some of that developing and crystalising my goals even further and I’m really excited by that.

So despite my initial comment about groaning when I see another meeting popped in my diary, I am genuinely really grateful for the time and investment that ISO Quality Services put in to me and developing my understanding of myself.  It makes me a better employee but more than that it is helping make me a better person.

I would urge any employer to look at the training you offer your staff and consider if it could be expanded away from strict work related training and in to some more of the personal development aspects.  Investing in your employees so that they can learn more about themselves, how they work and how they thrive both in and out of work will ultimately benefit them and you.

ISO Quality Services Ltd are proud to specialise in the implementation and certification of the Internationally recognised ISO and BS EN Management Standards.

Do you want to get ahead of your competition? Win more tenders or save time and money on reoccurring issues? Contact us today on 0330 058 5551 or email info@isoqsltd.com.

Alternatively, you can request a quote by filling out our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

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