I was only ever pretty average at school. The best grade I got was a ‘B’ and I only got it once. Needless to say the world of academia wasn’t for me. I was more into sports and training at the time so it was off to fitness and leisure management for me. What was really interesting is that I soon propelled myself to the top of the class.

Not because the other students weren’t smart (some did really well in school) but more because I was interested in the subjects – all of them! Rarely would you find me without a book on kinesiology, physiology, strength training, training sports teams, or an industry specific magazine. I loved it and I couldn’t get enough of it. This philosophy of learning started to take hold and I’ve carried it with me through my entire life. My wife calls me a nerd because even now I might read 20 to 30 books a year and only two or three of those would be fiction. My interests have changed over the years but I’ve never lost my hunger for learning. Now, with a BSc in Computer Science and, many years later, a BSc in Psychology, this philosophy of learning has served me well! Every time I become interested in a new topic I invest in any training I can get around that topic. For me, it’s mostly books.

I invest so much in training because I know that in order to be successful in what I’m doing I need to “beat on my trade” more than anyone else. I’m not alone though, many people out there read books and attend training courses from time to time but I like to think there’s a difference in how I face into it compared to others which brings me back to my original question: What’s the one thing that’s even more powerful than training?

There is only one thing more powerful than training and it’s very, very much more powerful. It’s called daily training. Whenever it is necessary to develop the ability to perform skills with a degree of excellence, nothing beats daily training. Because of the need for skill, dancers and musicians use daily training. Because of the need for skill, pilots and surgeons use daily training. If you want to excel in your field you need to invest in daily training. It’s that simple. If we’re talking about leadership there’s a reason why it takes years to become an effective leader. True leadership consists of a range of complex skills that require exposure to a variety of people, teams, environments, and situations. There are no shortcuts to leadership.

“But Cillín,” I hear you say, “I’m so busy in work. I don’t have time to commit to daily training.” This is a valid argument and one I hear often. About 4 years ago I delivered a range of team facilitation and training sessions for Ocular. The CEO, Stevo O’Rourke, came up to me afterwards and said, “This is great stuff! More people need access to this kind of thing.” That was the seed conversation that led to us joining forces and creating a new online coaching platform called Leaders are Made. Originally the platform consisted of just me and my material but over the years we’ve had the privilege of having some of the top coaches in New Zealand sharing their knowledge. We now have over 85 videos with approximately 60 more coming online in the next three months – it’s the only platform you need for your professional and leadership development.

So why is this relevant to daily learning? The platform has been built with this in mind. All of the videos have been designed around the philosophy of micro-learning. Each video is specific to one learning topic with, in most cases, actions you can take to imbed the new learning. And, because most of the videos are only between 4 to 8 minutes in duration the platform is simply perfect for daily training. Say goodbye to that excuse of not having the time (although there will always be someone who will steadfastly hold onto it as a reason for why they’re not progressing). Did you know that there are 86,400 seconds in a day? That means there are 86,400 opportunities to click play on a new video that will expose you to an new idea that will make you a better leader and a better person.

If you’d like to know more about how to achieve more in life or business, or if you’d like to explore how coaching can help you become a better leader (of others or yourself!), or even if you’re just generally curious about what professional coaching can offer you, please contact us at any time for a free consultation.

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