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Find And Benefit From Better Skills And Career Opportunities

By: Donald Mitchell

Are you making all the progress you would like in your career? If not, have you developed all the skills and knowledge you need?

Let's look at how what you don't know can hurt you.

A friend of mine was born color blind. For example, he couldn't tell the difference between red and green. Realizing that others could see things he couldn't, my friend knew he needed help.

Although he could memorize where the colors for "go" and "stop" were on a traffic light, sometimes his attire would attract more unwanted attention than a traffic accident. After he was married his wife kindly picked out his clothes each day, and he was always dressed conservatively and in a nicely color-coordinated fashion. Most people never realized that he was color blind.

Occasionally, that plan would backfire such as when his mother-in-law unexpectedly needed his wife's help. My friend would rush into my office in the morning holding lots of shirts, socks, and ties and ask me to pick out a winning combination. Sometimes I could help, and other times I couldn't because what he had brought didn't work together. I remember letting him have my socks one day to help improve his outfit.

While that story may seem farfetched and vaguely amusing to you, dealing with being color blind was very important and not a bit funny to my friend: A weakness he couldn't do anything about continually threatened to destroy his credibility.

Color blindness is thought to affect about 8 percent of men and about 1 percent of women. It's no wonder women usually seem more color coordinated than many men!

Seeing deficiencies in others' choices isn't limited to colors of clothing: Those who lack certain basic skills and experiences reveal themselves in and out of the workplace just as clearly as color blind people do with their bizarre color combinations.

It's easy for the person whose weakness is revealed to notice when a misstep has happened: There's an awkward silence during which no one says anything, but knowing glances are exchanged.

The person who is the object of those judgments would love to know what to do differently but often has no easy way to find out. Here's where education can play a big role: You gain skills and experiences while also being exposed to cultural circumstances that prepare you to meet others on a more equal and pleasant basis. As a result, more people notice your good qualities and your weaknesses aren't as obvious.

One of the most rewarding experiences a teacher can have is to watch someone who has been often overlooked before add missing skills and experiences to showcase top talent that the world recognizes. I was reminded of this joy recently while thinking about Mr. Sam Kabera, an MBA graduate.

Mr. Kabera was a recent college graduate at the time we first met, having just earned his bachelor's degree through an online program in Africa. Despite having no experience in graduate business programs, he gamely signed up for my course on exponential business success, one of the most difficult MBA courses offered at Rushmore University.

He quickly showed himself to be a quick study and produced excellent work that demonstrated a mature ability to assess a business situation, to appreciate how it could be improved, and to understand and explain what would be required to make the change successfully.

Before graduating, Mr. Kabera designed a custom course that required analyzing a substantial entrepreneurial opportunity. I was delighted to see that the research methods, analysis, judgment, and writing reflected the kind of mature work that would be expected of a highly successful mid-career entrepreneur . . . even though he lacked such experience and English was not his first language.

After graduating, Mr. Kabera gained a more responsible position with a well-regarded NGO program. There's no doubt in my mind that he could have handled such an assignment very successfully many years earlier . . . if only he had acquired his bachelor's and master's degrees sooner, providing the credentials to be considered for such opportunities.

I asked him to tell me a little about how the master's degree had changed his life so far. Here is what he told me:

"After earning an MBA, I felt more confident of what I was doing. I can now claim to be knowledgeable about what I am saying without hesitation and be viewed as an authority."

Although a lack of skills and education can hold back career advancement much more than color blindness, the good news is that skills can be learned, educational programs can provide degrees, and full career potential can be realized.

I look forward to the day when your full potential is realized by all those who meet you, as you receive the respect due your experience, your skills, your knowledge, and your knowledge. I urge you to get started soon so you won't have to wait as long as Mr. Kabera did to reach his happy day.

Article Source: http://www.newarticledaily.com

Donald W. Mitchell is a professor at Rushmore University who often advises MBA candidates from African nations to develop their careers in NGO and entrepreneurial management. For more information about ways to engage in fruitful lifelong learning at Rushmore, visit www.rushmore.edu

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