Cross Training and Going the Distance
Knowing your job, and your role within your organization is obviously important. After all, we’re all just clogs in a well oiled machine right?
Not knowing which way your clog is supposed to spin could throw everything off. As little as your clog may be, being able to keep moving forward is integral.
Now what if you know your job, should it end there? Maybe. If you’re content and your company is content with your knowledge, then maybe thats fine. Theres nothing technically wrong with that.
However, enhancing your knowledge is never usually a bad thing. Gaining further knowledge of your company and your fellow clogs should not just be a good thing – it should be encouraged. While you may seem discouraged at first – why should I learn someone else job when I have my own to worry about? If all the clogs are working together and moving forward toward the same goal, then at the end of the day everything is ok. The job is done, everyone worked together, and the fact that people stepped up and helped out, made things run smoother. Since everyone is working towards the same goal, helping out should be a no brainer.
Learning another part of the job – and cross training – will only open up more opportunities for yourself – providing you have a successful learning experience of course. Not only that, knowing more then you should, generally helps within your own position. You understand better, you interact better, and you can plan better.
Its no different with physical cross training. For example, a runner shouldn’t always just run. While its important they maintain their fitness and keep up their miles, cross training will help their muscles that may not always be utilized, and it will ultimately make them a stronger runner. You never realize how important and how helpful these skills you never knew you needed are, until you have them and you’re utilizing them and helping propel yourself further. Cross training for runners helps them build things like endurance. Their muscles are learning more then just what they know from running. Its finding weaknesses you never knew you had, working on them, building them and make them stronger – until maybe they’re not a weakness anymore.
If you break a limb – does the rest of you give up? Does everything stop working?
No. The other limbs pick up where the broken one left off. They help out. They become stronger and they keep the gears turning. While there may be limitations – and thats ok – the clogs keep turning. The machine still functions – life continues.
Its the same with learning other skills that can be applied throughout your career. Just because you’re in customer service doesn’t mean you can’t learn the accounting side. Just because you’re in Security doesn’t mean you can’t learn some of the more technical things, or administrative things.
Having a deeper understanding of all aspects that a job really entails will make it easier for you, and will make a better experience for not just the team you’re working with, but for your clients and customers.
By being a jack of all trades so to speak, doesn’t mean you have to lose what you’re good at. It just means that while excelling at your job, you can also excel for your company. By cross training you’re putting effort into your company, your business, but most importantly – yourself. You’re making yourself stronger, more knowledgable, and going the distance to prove these things.
The skills you gain now will carry you through to the future, and you never know where you can end up.
Guest Blogger Rayna Davies
Rayna Davies is a graduate and practitioner of Business Management. She has developed an expertise in blogging, covering subjects like travel, world events and security. Having grown up with a father who has developed an expertise in Physical Security and Executive Protection in the RCMP and two major corporations, she has personally observed and 
experienced many security details. These experiences have included personally meeting HM Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and many celebrities. She presently assists Sentinel Security in Executive Protection workshops and guest blogging and also assists Gloprosec Preventative Services in Intelligence gathering and Business Administration. Her passions include World travel, having visited every continent.
