The Greek word “Lambano” is defined as, “To take hold with the hand, lay hold of any person or thing in order to use it.”

One of the roadblocks to improving results is the lack of action after we have learned new skills. We are surrounded by learning opportunities. After an impactful learning experience, a decision must be made. Will we use the information learned, or will it go to the pile of unused skills and unfulfilled expectations? Sometimes we simply stay in one place professionally too long. After a class, those attending must return to their places of service and make the decision of whether to lambano – use the information in order to improve. Here are truths that will enable you to embrace newly learned skills and use them to push you to the top!

Change is your friend and your path to the top!

Many fear change and retreat into the familiar when confronted with it. Change is hard, and change is challenging. However, we must change to improve.  Successful people rarely see improvement because they do things well. Rather, the willingness to do the things that others are unwilling to do is their catalyst to the top. While they could spend their time boasting of their success, instead they are always looking for ways to improve and make minor changes that when combined over time, lead to major improvement. I challenge everyone with whom I work with the word lambano. Will you use the information you are discovering? Great skills learned, if placed on a shelf, will only motivate you temporarily. They will not change your level of success. Using the information learned and allowing change to transform your future will assure continuous improvement, month after month.

The cost of not changing is too high!

If we allow ourselves to become stagnant in our development, we begin to believe the lie that we have already learned as much as possible and that we are at the top. It is a false sense of security. Growth opportunities come and go and pass us by and we are left behind. The “Buffet Formula” made famous by Warren Buffet simply says, “Go to bed smarter than you woke up.” And it’s not just something motivational to say! He spends 80% of his time reading and says he usually reads 500 pages every week. And he not only reads but strives to implement the truth he learns. He practices “lambano,” reading for the purpose of using it. We must fill our days with efforts to learn to become more effective communicators and in the ability to help customers in front of us. The only difference between the top performers and the rest of the pack is that they learn with the intent to put the information into practice and to grow and change. Simply put, the cost of not changing is catastrophic and will bankrupt any career!

If you embrace new information and look to use it, it will change your trajectory!

Desire is the engine that drives you to the top. Consistent improvement is the fuel that drives the engine! You must do more than desire or want to be the best at what you do. You must act. We have three choices every day. We can make excuses and blame other things and other people for our shortcomings. We can focus solely on profits and take the shortcut to success. Or we can make changes, add skills, learn new information and do the hard work of determining the most effective manner to communicate that to our customers. The trajectory to the top is outlined with embracing consistent improvement, spending time everyday learning, and making our focus on how to use what we have learned. Sounds simple, yet it has taken many to the top. See you there!

Rick McCormick is national account development manager for Reahard & Associates.