LIFE-LONG LEARNING

As I mentioned earlier in this text, not all people are destined or adequately wired to be managers. The best managers factor in a portion of their work time for education. Perhaps it will be to read one paragraph a day from a favorite or new book. Some managers find it easier to lump education into week-long seminars. The value of seminars is great as long as the education keeps moving forward on a daily basis. In other words, it is reasonable to go to a dentist in an emergency, but daily brushing and flossing will minimize those urgencies. It is reasonable to call your mechanic when the car breaks down, but daily maintenance care minimizes those urgencies.

As you review the resources in this chapter you should begin to get the idea of what you want to know as well as what you need to know. You will also experience your own resistance to change.

Use what you have. Get more stuff. Work with internal auditors , outside agencies, libraries, consultants , counselors, teachers , law enforcement and firefighter professionals, universities, community colleges, adult education programs, consultants, critical incident stress management volunteers, EAP providers, HR providers, books, videos , trainers , and whatever you can find to research, develop and evolve a program for Emotional Continuity Management which will protect yourself, your workers, and your industry.

Help others to learn. Advocate for trainings. Allocate funds and provide training dollars. If you have a small to nonexistent budget, find local volunteers or create a library at work. Go to used book sales and buy books. Give your team time to learn. Provide them with resources. Do what ever it takes to grow your resources and availability to them. Make slogans, write mottos, use bulletin boards and sandwich boards if they work at getting people on board with the challenges of balancing business and emotions and avoiding emotional chaos or emotional ignorance in the workplace.