{"id":3232,"date":"2021-12-03T08:04:11","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T16:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/?p=3232"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:26:58","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:26:58","slug":"investing-in-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2021\/12\/03\/investing-in-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Tuesday, I joined a group of our County colleagues who\u00a0are investing in themselves and our ability to better serve our community – at the latest \u201cgraduation\u201d from our Leadership Certification program.\u00a0 This talented group of employees included veteran leaders, new leaders, and aspiring leaders.\u00a0 It ranged from people in formal leadership positions, like department directors, to informal leaders.\u00a0 The class included people from 15 departments throughout our County team.\u00a0 What they had in common was their belief in themselves and the importance of leadership as a skill to be developed.\u00a0 And they knew becoming a better leader would help them in both their professional and their personal lives.<\/p>\n

More than\u00a0160 people have earned the Bronze, Silver, or Instructor leadership certifications in this year alone.\u00a0 I can\u2019t thank Mary Ransier enough for all her work in developing and leading this program.\u00a0 Mary and I talked about the importance of promoting and valuing leadership at the County three years ago \u2013 and she, and the \u201csmall but mighty\u201d Organizational Development & Training (ODT) Team are making it happen!<\/p>\n

And then on Wednesday, I joined the latest ODT Leadership Cohort Call, which featured nationally known speaker Redmond Ramos.\u00a0 Red was a Navy Corpsman serving with the Marines when he lost his foot to an IED in Afghanistan in 2011.\u00a0 He has a powerful story of adapting and overcoming adversity, including competing in the Invictus Games and on The Amazing Race TV show.\u00a0 You can learn more about Red\u2019s story at his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Leadership Certification program is just one of thousands of training and self-development opportunities available to you.\u00a0 Even in the pandemic, when we are all facing many personal and professional challenges, most of our colleagues are still making the time to invest in themselves and their futures!\u00a0 Pierce County employees completed 14,104 trainings in 2021. The training included digital and virtual instructor-led courses as well as conferences, seminars, and training from partner agencies.<\/p>\n

During the Leadership Certification \u201cgraduation\u201d I ask everyone to share why they invested their time in this program.\u00a0 Trish Bennon captured it well when she said we have a \u201cnew workforce with new motivations facing new challenges\u201d and leaders need the skills to help our colleagues deliver for our community!<\/p>\n

Our success in serving our residents depends on the innovation and creativity prompted by continual learning and professional development. As a learning organization we strive to remain agile, adaptable, and innovative.<\/p>\n

Have I inspired you to take your learning to the next step and become certified?\u00a0 If so, you can learn more about our leader certification program at https:\/\/www.piercecountywa.gov\/6602\/Leadership-Certification<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, I hope you will join in the celebration of learning next week by attending two lunchtime virtual meetings:<\/p>\n

Dec 6 \u2013 Noon – Employee Learning Week Lunch and Learn – importance of learning and professional development https:\/\/piercecountywa.zoom.us\/j\/98116352754<\/a><\/p>\n

Dec 9 \u2013 Noon – Employee Learning Week Awards https:\/\/piercecountywa.zoom.us\/j\/96593028847<\/a><\/p>\n

Before I close, I want to include a couple of shout outs to outstanding County employees:<\/p>\n