Marshall Goldsmith has said that any class, program or seminar that doesn’t have follow-up is a waste of time. I agree! Think about it, when you sit down at these events there is unspoken belief that everyone wants growth and change. The reality is that you can "game" your way through if you say and do the right things. Even people who are well intentioned fall prey to their own bad habits of learning.
Here are a few suggestions to make the most of your program experience:
- Find out if there is any type of follow-up support after the event. If there isn’t, don’t throw out the opportunity. But ask yourself whether you have the resources (mentor, self-discipline, books, etc.) to do the follow-up yourself.
- Check your motivations. In other words, do you really want to learn?
- Make sure the material is geared to your strengths.
- Make an appointment with yourself after the event to capitalize on the "key" points of learning.
- Stay away from the "pump you up" events. If you need to be pumped up in the arena called life, then check your pulse.