I thought I was done learning!

So a typical expectation from a college graduate might be – "Great! No more sitting in a class, taking notes, and writing papers. No more being tested by your professor or working on projects with classmates. No more learning!" I’ve got news for you. You never stop learning. Or let me rephrase, you should never stop being willing to learn. Now, that might get you in trouble – for me, my husband rolls his eyes every time I bring home a new book, or I want to incorporate some new thing into our diet because I’ve read about it and done some research on-line. However, I’d have to say a typical response I have to anything life throws at me is "This is a learning experience." Through my 14 years with the American Cancer Society, let me tell you, I’ve had plenty of learning experiences – learning about the disease of cancer both professionally and personally; the courage of cancer patients and caregivers; how to manage and interact with a variety of cultural differences and experiences. I've learned to coordinate events, plan and implement strategies, and to jump over the obstacles that threw themselves in our way! But I’d have to say the unstructured experiences I’ve had have left their mark and broadened my horizons just as much as specific projects. I was recently at a Dale Carnegie training in Chicago that I was able to attend because I’m lucky enough to be part of our National Leadership Development Program. What is the "National Leadership Development Program"? Well, I’ll get to that in a minute. At the Dale Carnegie class, there were some exercises that required us to step outside, and I mean OUTSIDE, our comfort zone. I was unafraid to step up, speak up, and I know it's because I've learned to be that leader through the American Cancer Society. The National Leadership Development program is an investment in our organization’s staff, not just in developing specific skills to make us better at our jobs, but to develop our careers. I also see it as recognition, recognition for the jobs well done, but also of the organization’s belief in my abilities to continue doing an even better job, and helping others do the same. Not many companies provide these types of experiences for their staff, or this type of recognition. I guess I need to keep learning then, right? So....what's next? Jennifer Agee, Guest Blogger Director, CRM Great Lakes Division