Adding personal value: celebrating Learning at Work Week

This Learning at Work Week, CIMSPA Workforce Development Manager Dani Halsall discusses her qualification and what it was like balancing it alongside her full-time role.

I don’t remember a time when I haven’t wanted to do a course or learn something new, including learning outside of my current role, because I’ve always wanted to develop. I’m not someone who thinks you ever know enough. The beauty of my current job is that it’s so varied – you meet so many experts in their own field—and that always highlights something new that I’d like to know more about. So, the drive to keep learning is always there.

I completed the Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management with the Institute of Leadership and Management. I had already done lots of development in areas like project management, organisational development and assessment, and I’ve gained plenty of sport and fitness qualifications over the years – but when I looked at my learning overall, I realised I had a gap in formal leadership qualifications.

Leadership has always fascinated me because I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by great leaders throughout my career, from coaches in my athletics days to the experts I work with now. I’m inspired by how great leaders motivate the people around them – you can often recognise a good leader by the way others respond to them. I wanted to dig deeper into what helps someone become a great leader and to strengthen my understanding of leadership theory and practice. It’s also been really useful in my day-to-day work, as we lead and facilitate sessions with lots of different people, and it’s helped me understand and use the terminology and approaches that come up in those conversations.

The balancing act: learning whilst working 

Balancing the course alongside my role came down to planning and discipline. I have three children and a busy home life with lots of after-school activities, alongside a day job that’s busy. For me, it wasn’t so much about “finding” time as being intentional with it – blocking out specific days and times for study and treating those commitments like any other priority. The course also fitted well with my work: what I was learning helped me make sense of situations I was seeing day to day, and it gave me the opportunity to reflect on what does and doesn’t work in leadership in a practical way.

From the start, it was something I was personally keen to take on as part of my ongoing development. My line manager was positive about me completing the qualification and recognised the value it would bring to my role and development. Even though I completed most of the work independently in my own time, I always felt encouraged and supported, and it was great to have the achievement acknowledged once I had completed it. Overall, it was a really positive experience and a valuable piece of professional development.

The importance of up-skilling

Continuing to up-skill, even when you’re already in a role, is really important because you can always improve and develop further. It’s a good mindset to have – wanting to better yourself – and it also gives you the chance to step back and reflect on your current practice, whether it’s the best way of doing things or just habit. It helps you identify areas to improve while also recognising what you already do well.

When it comes to choosing the right course, it’s important to stay open-minded and not limit yourself to just your own sector. While I work in sport and physical activity and have completed many courses in that area, I also learn from other industries.

The lessons around personality types, leadership styles, and how to communicate effectively with different people have been particularly valuable for me. Understanding how individuals respond differently has really helped develop my approach to communication and relationship building.

Because we work with a wide range of stakeholders, I find I’m able to draw on elements of the qualification regularly. I use different “nuggets” of learning at various times depending on the situation or demands of the role, which has helped me be more adaptable and effective in my day-to-day work.

Taking on learning alongside work helps build confidence, gives you the opportunity to step back and self-evaluate how you’re working, and reflect on whether there are better or more effective ways of doing things.

It’s really valuable to learn from other sectors and industries, not just your own. It’s surprising how much you can take from outside your field and apply it to your own role, even in areas you might not expect. Overall, it broadens your thinking and adds real value to your professional development.