3 Ways To Influence Your Manager To Invest In Your Future

If you ask any organization, they're going to say that they want to invest in their people. 

However, this is not always the reality. 

Because of this, it's important that you take a proactive role within your organization to ensure you set yourself up for success. 

Plus, every company needs a champion for personal growth. That person could (and should) be you. 

Over the years, I've been a part of multiple approaches that worked to influence others to invest more in their people. 

Below, I dive into three of these tactics. 

If you follow the advice laid out below, your odds are high that your company will invest in your own personal development and the personal development of others.

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#1: Make Your Manager Aware Of Your Growth Aspirations

Not all employees within a company are interested in personal growth. Therefore, it's necessary for you to make your manager aware of where you want to take your career. 

Tell them where you see yourself in the future (i.e. two, three, and five years). 

By doing this, your manager will have this in the back of their mind when any opportunities come up that may be of interest to you. 

During this conversation, you need to do one more thing... and that brings us to the second tactic.

#2: Be Proactive And Present Your Ideas

When you meet with your manager and discuss your interest in personal growth, be sure you have specific ideas in mind.

Is there a certain conference you want to attend?

Is there a training program you'd like to register for?

Is there a certification that you want to earn?  

Be sure you not only present your idea but do your research on your idea as well. You need to be prepared to share exactly how you see the training or conference benefiting you and the organization.

This will include a basic return on investment (ROI) analysis. 

#3: Volunteer To Start A Personal Growth Club

Full transparency, I've never witnessed this one being done before, but it's worth exploring.

Many large organizations have people who forms smaller groups, such as software development clubs or business analyst clubs. The goal of those groups is generally to discuss industry related topics and learn together.

Why couldn't you start a personal growth club in your organization and get others to join you? This could be a good way to show your initiative and aptitude for innovation. 

The Bottom Line

If your company already has a program in place to offer training and other growth options, you need to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Although it's important to leverage the personal growth opportunities available to you within your company, you should never solely rely on this approach.

You should want to spend time outside of work improving yourself as well. 

Then, when you combine the time you're spending outside of work with the time you've spent within your organization growing, you'll find yourself advancing quickly.