How to ask your manager to pay for a personal development program.

When we start our careers, we tend to be robots who work 24/7, jump on any moving vehicle to get the job done, smile and nod, over achieve, survive on coffee and Red Bull, and make every effort to get the manager's attention and props from the team. We attend countless meetings and never-ending team-building events.

Then, about 10 years later, with our health and personal relationships suffering, we ask ourselves where the last 10 years went and how on earth we are feeling so "empty."

Unfortunately, the fast-paced, seemingly wonderous and noble, but truly toxic work environments we slave away for rarely give us back what we need in order to feel fulfilled, empowered, and hopeful. Sorry HR, y'all are doing something wrong. The endless surveys, KPI reviews, and Employee of the Month programs are not addressing the basic needs of us feeling like we belong, developing psychological and emotional skills, and being all round better human beings who actually live with intention and passion. Yes, we @EA360 believe this is the ultimate goal. So, once you realize that you are not performing and not growing as you would like, how do you ask your manager [who is still stuck in the fast-paced, seemingly wonderous and noble, but truly toxic work environment] for their support and the budget to participate in a personal development program?

1.Believe in your future self. Understand that the person you will be after the program will be at least 70% more influential AND relevant. This means that you will be more productive and useful to the company, which will then allow you to negotiate (easily) for a higher salary and benefits. Companies don't want cheaper labor, they want higher-performing teams who give them more value for their money.

2. Own your request. Be specific about the skills, talents, or competencies you want to develop. For example, you could say: "I want to be a better listener so that I can execute projects more efficiently, within timelines and with a higher success rate."

3. Do your research. Before raising this request with your manager, be sure you have identified a program [like @The Executive Office of East Africa's "Me First" Individual Performance Based Coaching Program], understand the commitment it will require from you, the cost, and the three key outcomes.

4. Prepare your pitch. Like any good request, you need to present it in such a way that the person on the other side of the table cannot say no to you. Prepare yourself in an organised manner, write down your key points, breathe deeply, and pitch!

*More on how to pitch lemonade to a lemon coming soon!

As someone who has successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, I can tell you that my first step to getting to the top was to believe that I could do it. And somehow, I did. One slow step at a time.