You Must Be Coachable For Professional Growth

Professional Growth

Many people take some type of professional development training in order to further their careers.  Some of these programs even involve motivational training for professional growth in various fields.  When undertaking such development programs, especially if conducted by experience industry professionals, attendees must be coachable in order to get any benefit.

There was this nurse who wanted to become a pharmaceutical sales rep.  This individual has never worked in the business environment before having spent her entire career in the clinical setting.  She was presented with a custom development plan for her to make a successful transition and upon receiving this plan, she reacted by disagreeing with the points made.

The plan was developed by a seasoned professional who has 20 plus years in the corporate world of which 14 were in the pharmaceutical sales field.  The nurse has zero experience in business and was disagreeing with pretty well everything suggested in the plan.  Therefore she was not coachable.

The fact is that pharmaceutical sales training and pretty well any field in business for that matter, is very different from the clinical setting.  If one wishes to make that type of career transition or get promoted within the same field, one must be coachable.  If you are not coachable, you will not advance in the areas that you want to do so, no matter what field.  Your professional growth will become very limited.

It is not surprising that this particular nurse continues to face blocked doors to a new career as well as any promotions to a more senior level of nursing.  In fact, many companies use the point that certain people are not coachable as grounds for declining promotions and even job terminations.

So if you want to maximize your professional growth either in a new field or existing field, it is much better to open up and take any developmental or training plan set out for you than to complain.  This is also true with motivational training programs designed to bring out the best in you.  Being coachable is one of the requirements for success.  Those who are not coachable will be left in the same place for a long time.

To see what type of speaking programs and seminars I offer for professional growth (or personal growth), see my Speaking Programs section at my website.