I've been reflecting on some recent conversations with fellow professionals... 
One thing that struck me is that I think differently i.e. what I notice and/or focus on in situations diverges from what they've tended to see. 

My first thought/suggestion is often about possibilities i.e. thought patterns like "How interesting! What about this? And this? Or that?..." 
A form of problem-solving, I suppose, honed through deep experience in product roles, with various stakeholders with different objectives. 

But, three different people (separately, but in close succession) have asked questions or surfaced different aspects upfront, with some combination of: 

• What will we do? What are the steps we will take? 
• How will we do/measure it? 
• What outcomes will we get? 

Yes, those elements are important to me too - and key to our technical professional training - but I think about them only later, after exploring possibilities (and ideas), including fanciful and impractical ones. 

Some of the questions I've been asking myself: 
> Is it perhaps a desire for certainty & efficiency that drives us to analyse? 
> Do we tend to judge too quickly that this will never work? 
> Are we (on average) uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity? 

Would love to hear your thoughts on this! 
Where do YOU start / what do you notice first? 

Should we expect our companies to pay for our:
> gym memberships & yoga classes to keep healthy? 
> transport to get to our contracted place of work? 
> business attire in keeping with the company dresscode? 

And, when they don’t, would we just stop exercising in protest, or sulk at home in our pyjamas?! 

So, then, why when our employers don’t fund our postgraduate degrees, professional training, or learning of new skills, do we (sometimes) refuse to develop ourselves? Are we not also benefiting from the professional development, now and for many years to come, perhaps even when that specific employer is a distant memory?

There are, of course, some employers who offer their employees fantastic benefits, whether
> health-related (like private medical insurance, gym discounts or wellness programmes),
> savings-related (like retirement contributions), or
> education/development-related (like bursary programmes, internal leadership training, or executive coaches).
If these are available to you, make use of as many as you can!

And, please do make a case for their support with specific ambitions you have (such as a Masters degree). Their support won’t be limitless though (and may continue to reduce over time because of budget pressures), so you must be prepared to contribute to your own health, savings and development too.

Just because they might sponsor some of what you need (where it is in their interests too), do be mindful that what’s on offer might not be everything you need. Whether it’s other activities to stay healthy, more savings for a comfortable retirement, or additional learning & development to achieve your personal career goals.

If you’re feeling daunted by all the development options available to you, or would like to discuss how you might approach your employer to sponsor your plans, please give us a shout – we're happy to help.