Investing in the Bank (of Knowledge)

In business terms the Bank of Knowledge is the investment that generates never ending returns, something that all businesses dream of. In personal terms it is one of the few decisions we make that is certain to have a positive and powerful impact on the rest of our lives, says Bill Sanderson.

My own first step on the journey in to management was when I applied for a junior management post. I was ambitious, enthusiastic and eager for promotion. I was determined and very competitive. The other two candidates were also ambitious, competitive and equally eager for promotion, and had greater experience than I did. Despite this and the fact that I was the newest member of the team, I still applied for the job. All three of us had similar track records and were delivering similar levels of performance.

Some time after my promotion, I overheard my MD talking to my Director about why they chose me for the job.

“There was just something about Bill’s manner wasn’t there?” said my MD. “It’s hard to put my finger on it but he came across with that extra something that made him stand out. He made a stronger impression by the way he behaved and his positive approach. It felt as if he was running the interview, not reacting to us and our agenda. He was different.”

The difference my MD was speaking about was not luck, or a natural talent as an interviewee. The difference was a conscious decision. Three months earlier I had attended a course on Presentation Skills.

When the time came I was not reactive. I did not go for an interview. I saw this as a presentation. After the traditional question and answers from the panel. I took control, set my own agenda and confidently delivered the points I wanted to make. I planned, prepared and delivered a presentation to a special audience with a specific purpose. I did everything I had been taught on the course. I invested in developing a skill and learning new knowledge. The return on that investment was my first promotion and it has been yielding returns ever since.

This is the power of the MDP. It will deliver returns, via all the topics available, throughout your career in more ways that you could ever anticipate.

A decision to take part in MDP will change your life. For example, I was delighted to hear that 80% of the delegates who attended the Presentation Skills Programmes, run as an option via the MDP, have been promoted in the past 12 months.

​“Training is the cornerstone of any successful career. Without the correct, targeted guidance and training an individual can never achieve the potential that is within. Through the CMAE I have attended MDPs and many of the regular day and half day sessions and without doubt they have helped me to achieve the position that I have today.” – Edward Plunket,  Secretary, City of London Club

This is proof that a calculated investment in a proven resource will deliver, and keep on delivering, to the way you want your life and career, to be. Doris Lessing, the Nobel Prize winning author said: “Information must be relentlessly sought to build knowledge. But there is no point at all in building knowledge unless it has a positive and meaningful impact on your behaviour.”

In business, behaviour is measured via performance.In life, behaviour is measured by who you choose to be. The MDP is a resource that will deliver the knowledge you need to be able to choose the behaviour you want to fulfil your ambitions. A resource that is proven (ask any of over 1000 delegates) to generate returns, in many different ways, for as long as you wish to use them. 

Invest in the Bank (of knowledge) because it keeps on giving. Make the decision and reap the reward.

Article published in Clubhouse Europe issue 11