Businesses and their employees have been through what many never expected in the past year—and now, they are ready to move on and look ahead. Virtual learning has taken on a completely new meaning than it did last March. But what about professional development? What are business owners looking to learn as they prepare for a post-pandemic economy, and what can industry trends tell us about where businesses and their customers stand?
Since registration opened for the spring semester of Enterprise University, the record-breaking numbers speak volumes. With courses covering topics like finance, human resources, management and leadership, marketing and sales, and today’s trends, the data tells us a lot about what is top of mind for businesses and professionals in today’s environment. Here are a few observations about what registration trends tell us.
As the economy recovers, leaders want to ensure they are ready to lead their team into what’s next.
When you consider how rapidly the business environment is changing, it’s clear why managers and business leaders want to ensure that they are as well-prepared and have the skills necessary to lead their organizations to success. The landscape can shift quickly, and priorities can change. Businesses small and large have seen how dependency on one supply chain could result in lost sales and closing doors. Looking forward, business leaders want to ensure that they are equipped with the skills necessary to manage their business successfully and keep morale high.
Many businesses overcame adversity in the past year. It may have been your business’s most challenging year yet—or your best year. Or maybe it was challenging in your personal life, and for your family, rather than in your career. All of these situations require courage. And looking toward the future and making critical decisions requires great courage. So the leadership skills that business leaders want to strengthen are often those of business strategy or management of cash and capital, but in other cases, they require a different type of knowledge: how to manage during a crisis; how to lead a team with empathy.
In trying times, people look to their leadership. Whether your team is rebuilding and healing, or more energized than ever, a manager needs to be able to nurture human energy and engagement. When you understand your team, even when they aren’t like you, you can empower, strengthen and ultimately improve your organization. Managers that had to make changes in their management style and habits when the pandemic hit may have experienced a shift in team dynamics that you want to alleviate. Managers with growing teams want to ensure that new employees onboarded virtually understand expectations and enjoy open communication with their new team. Employee engagement is key to making sure your business is strong enough to thrive in the current economic landscape.
Companies are depending on strong marketing & sales to propel them toward their goals.
Companies that reorganized or completely evolved their services or products to meet pandemic-related needs find themselves tasked with also rethinking their marketing and/or sales models. Also likely, many businesses have had to refresh marketing and sales tactics because their audience is now doing business or shopping in a different way. The most common scenario is learning to bring sales and the customer experience virtual and do so successfully. But it can also mean increasing sales while reducing expenses, maintaining relationships or leveraging your latest data to make decisions.
All companies—but especially those that have restructured or adapted their business to fit emerging needs and their respective buyer journeys—need powerful messaging to communicate their brand story to potential clients and investors. The ability to succinctly talk about your business proposition, and what you bring to the table that your competitors don’t, is critical. Many companies that were playing defense in 2020 are now ready to resume goals that were on hold, measure performance like they used to and get back to business. Having the right messaging allows companies to do that well.
Professionals not only value, but expect efficiency.
A year ago, screen sharing or muting yourself were foreign to most business professionals. It goes without saying that the virtual nature of our day-to-day—and our children’s, too—has laser-focused on productivity and the management of our schedules and meetings. As we strive to meet employees’ needs and ensure that we are using precious time in the most beneficial way, the ability to plan, lead and execute efficient meetings is vital.
LinkedIn™ is key to recruitment and business development processes.
As a recruitment, networking and sales platform, LinkedIn™ has proven what makes it different from other social media platforms in the past year. To recruit for remote positions, HR professionals can find 738 million professionals from 200 countries. More than 40 million users search for jobs on LinkedIn™ every week, and 3 people per minute are hired through LinkedIn™.
In regards to sales, building and maintaining relationships is easier said than done when clients are working remotely and perhaps located across the country and around the world. But word-of-mouth is just as powerful today as ever; how can you still leverage that? When professionals understand best practices for successful prospecting, you can use LinkedIn™ more effectively on a day-to-day basis, and use those skills to stay top of mind with your connections and prospects.
Stay on top of the evolving business landscape and build relevant skills with Enterprise University. If you haven’t yet explored the Enterprise University spring 2021 coursebook, it’s not too late to register for a no-cost 90-minute virtual course, with classes scheduled through May. Reserve your seat and better your business knowledge to improve your career and your organization.
