Here's how you can gauge the ROI of your continuing education efforts in Strategy.

To effectively measure the ROI of your strategy education: - **Set Clear, Measurable Goals**: Define what you aim to achieve. - **Examples**: Promotion, salary increase, or successful launch of a new business initiative. - **Establish Specific Targets**: Precise targets will help evaluate the true impact of your learning. - **Consider Short-term and Long-term Objectives**: Balance immediate gains with future aspirations. - **Precision in Goals**: Being as precise as possible facilitates accurate assessment later. This approach ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the educational investment's impact.

Education is not a destination but a continuous journey . However you should review and assess in a quantitative and qualitative way the contribution of this learning investment in terms of time and fees to your professional career and personal life

As long as you have the love and passion for what you choose to do, along with drive and desire to keep learning, hunger to accomplish and succeed and alway remember to respect others and be humble. If you have all that in order then you need not bother with what this is telling you to do, just keep on forging ahead and periodically look back for lessons learned and where you started.

When investing in continuous learning, it's crucial to factor in associated costs, including transportation, time, and opportunity costs. This comprehensive assessment should be recouped through the gained expertise. Personal Financing: If the investment can be covered personally, either from existing savings or a personal loan, evaluate the time spent acquiring the certification, potential salary increase, and career advancement opportunities. Corporate Sponsorship: If sponsorship from your employer, a loyalty contract can be an effective solution. Agree to stay with the company for double the certification duration, while leading a project improvement initiative or similar agreements align with talent retention and development strategies

Track Costs and Benefits: tuition fees for courses or programs; expenses for travel, materials, or technology; lost work time due to attending training sessions.

As a strategy professional you have a unique ability to not only consider explicit costs (tangible, out-of-pocket expenses that require a direct monetary payment) but also opportunity costs and sunk costs. Your opportunity cost could be lost income, lost connection, lost opportunity, lost health, etc. Your sunk cost could be that project you started investing before you abandoned it midway to pursue education.

Por melhor que seja nosso talento para planejar os custos, é o dia a dia que vai definir os números finais. Devemos ficar de olho nos detalhes e seguirmos fielmente as premissas iniciais e adequá-las sempre que necessário.

Next, please record all costs associated with your continuing education. These include tuition fees, books, conference travel expenses, and opportunity costs like time away from work. By quantifying these investments, you create a baseline to compare against the benefits you receive. Remember, some fees are upfront, while others, like the potential loss of income during study periods, accrue over time.

Sometimes there are no immediate outcomes but one should still invest in the continous learning process as it helps to broaden the horizon and gives new perspectives to solve a challenging problem. The power of network should not be underestimated and in such courses one must try to build the network that will enable you to learn and grow faster.

The most important returns from your investment into continuous education is the ability to think clearly and make firm decisions. You must evaluate the ROI based on the decisions and the resultant outcome from such decisions that was made possible by you investing into a continuous education program. Example: A education program helped you made a business decision that resulted in $2,000,000 in additional revenue - then your ROI from the continuous education program is what you invested vs what it helped you drive based on your decision making ability.

Measuring outcomes is crucial because it provides tangible evidence of progress and success, allowing for informed adjustments to strategy. Much like in chess, where players analyze their past games to identify strengths and weaknesses, measuring outcomes helps in refining approaches to achieve better results in the future.

I recommend using 3 measures: 1 - Performance metrics: Track your sales, CSAT or productivity before and after training. 2 - Cost Savings: Assess cost reductions or improved efficiencies, better decision making or decreased error rates due to enhanced skills. 3 - Career advancement and Retention: Monitor career progression and job satisfaction. Continued education should lead to advancement in career and job satisfaction. More importantly give it some time, some improvements take time and you need to be patient.

Professional skill development connected to a strategic roadmap for your career should have clear outcomes defined, whether it be the ability to shift into a new industry, or domain, attain enhanced capabilities that lead to promotions, or rounding out skillsets that you feel are critical for mastery. These outcomes may take time to achieve but taking pulse checks to see if the intended benefits of your continuing education are reaping rewards or if a calibration is in order is important. With time goals may change, or the desired result from skill enhancement was not aligned to actual outcomes. Taking the time to do self-assessments will help you drive tighter alignment to your goals and get to successful outcomes.

Continuous education results in many intangible improvements 1. Clarity in thinking 2. Firm Decision Making abilities 3. Motivate teams to focus on goals 4. Vision setting etc Education helps you think better, and you can’t put a revenue figure on your thinking ability. What follows the thinking is tangible, such as decision making, execution strategy or plan and its resultant revenue upside.

Always listen to your professors and when they tell you something twice, be sure to follow through with it. Professor Dan Frey at MIT is an expert on Critical Thinking. He mentioned that his favorite book on that subject was "The Art Of Reasoning" by David Kelley. He mentioned that again in another MIT course and I found a copy of it on a used books website for $8. Another favorite MIT PostDoc Professor Edward Crawley teaches Systems Engineering. Listen to what they have to say about learning how to solve those wicked and edgy problems in the world today.

The intangible benefits of continuing education in strategy, such as enhanced critical thinking, improved leadership abilities, and expanded professional networks, significantly contribute to personal and professional development. Though hard to quantify, these benefits can positively influence one's career trajectory and decision-making processes. They are valuable aspects to consider when evaluating the worth of continuing education.

Continuous education produces many positive results both tangible and intangible. Demonstrating the value placed on the most significant asset, human assets shows employees their value which will enable them to reach their potential.

Calculating the ROI of your strategic education may be simple. Here's how: subtract the total costs from the monetary benefits and divide the result by the total costs. This percentage represents your financial return. *Remember, it's not just about the numbers.* Consider intangible benefits like enhanced skills and networking opportunities. These can significantly boost your career, making the investment worthwhile even if the direct financial ROI seems modest.

To calculate ROI (Return on Investment), you need two values: 1) Total cost of the investment (tuition, fees, materials, etc.) and 2) Expected monetary benefits (increased salary, bonuses, etc.). The formula is: ROI = (Monetary Benefits - Total Costs) / Total Costs This gives the ROI as a percentage. A positive percentage means the benefits outweighed the costs financially. A negative percentage means costs exceeded benefits. While intangible benefits like knowledge and credentials don't directly factor into the calculation, they can provide additional justification for the investment. Let me know the cost and benefit values, and I'll calculate the ROI percentage for you.

In addition to the hard financial ROI, consider the fact that you took a risk versus remaining stagnant. You made a move toward your curiosity and potential, which is greater than the cost of inaction.

I would define the educational objectives, such as gaining specific skills, achieving certifications, or advancing in your career. Use a combination of financial metrics (e.g., increased earnings) and qualitative assessments (e.g., personal satisfaction and professional growth) to evaluate the overall impact of your education.

Calculating Return on Investment (ROI) is essential for assessing the profitability and effectiveness of your financial decisions. It helps you understand the returns generated relative to the costs involved, enabling better resource allocation and investment choices. For fiscally conservative analysis, ROI calculation minimizes risks by ensuring investments are yielding positive returns, prioritizing projects with clear, measurable benefits, and avoiding unnecessary expenditures. This disciplined approach safeguards against financial losses and promotes sustainable growth.

📊 Utilize ROI Insights: Use ROI analysis to guide future education decisions. Positive ROI may warrant further investment, while lower ROI may require adjustments. 💡 Invest Strategically: If ROI is positive, consider further investment in strategic education. This enhances skills and knowledge relevant to your career goals. 🔄 Adjust Approach: For lower-than-expected ROI, consider adjusting your approach. Focus on different courses or learning methods that offer better value. 🚀 Align with Career Goals: Ensure education choices align with your career goals. This maximizes the impact of your strategic education investment. Using ROI analysis to guide education decisions ensures strategic investment and alignment with career goals.

Adjusting your strategy based on your ROI findings is essential for continuous improvement. If your ROI is lower than expected, it may be necessary to refine your goals, choose different educational programs, or implement more effective application of learned strategies. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your strategy ensures that your continuing education remains aligned with your evolving professional needs and market demands.

Using a AI based "Generative Strategy" can provide various insights from an AI perspective. Not to replace but to add additional value to the decision making process. I would use AI as a tool to enhance and fine tune the investment strategy and to educate practitioners and subject matter experts, alike.

Continuous learning and monitoring of progression toward strategic goals is necessary. Adjusting and adapting to changes along the way is part of the process and while often faced with resistance it’s important to remind yourself and stakeholders of the purpose/strategic goal. Achieving strategic goals may seem overwhelming to individuals who are task-driven since tasks or activities may change. However, helping individuals to understand the ‘why’ behind a task or activity they’re involved in typically leads to increased support and buy-in to bigger picture.

- **Leverage ROI Insights**: Utilize detailed ROI analysis to guide future educational investments. - **Positive ROI**: If ROI is positive, consider increasing investment in strategic education to capitalize on demonstrated benefits. - **Suboptimal ROI**: If ROI falls below expectations, conduct a deeper analysis to refine your approach. - **Course Evaluation**: Analyze the specific courses undertaken and their relevance to your strategic goals. - **Learning Methods**: Investigate alternative educational methodologies (e.g., experiential learning, case studies, interactive seminars) that might enhance learning outcomes and applicability in real-world scenarios.

A few final thoughts from my experience as a venture capitalist: In a rapidly evolving business landscape, continuous learning enhances your ability to adapt to new technologies, methodologies, and market conditions, making you more resilient to change. Exposure to new ideas and approaches through continued learning can spark creativity and innovation, leading to unique solutions and competitive advantages for your organization. Continued education contributes to personal growth, building confidence in your abilities and knowledge, which can positively impact your professional demeanour, decision-making and standing within your organisation and your broader industry peers.

A few thoughts…To gauge the ROI of continuing your education in strategy, track KPIs like career advancements, salary increases, and promotions. Assess the impact of new skills on business outcomes such as project success rates, cost savings, and revenue growth. Conduct regular self-assessments and peer reviews to measure improvements in strategic thinking and decision-making. Apply learned concepts in real-world scenarios for tangible benefits. Seek feedback from mentors and colleagues for external insights. Finally, compare the financial investment in education against measurable career and business performance gains to ensure alignment with strategic goals.

Adding from my experience to the great perspectives on Continuous Learning in this section: Consider doing this in Multiple Disciplines. I found that Chemical Engineering models have great parallels in Quantitative Finance and in Technology Commercialization Law. A Derivative in the first, is a Real Option in the second, and a Due Diligence in the third.

It is ridiculous to mention ROI and education in the same sentence. The ROI of education should not be measured in the short term. Take me as an example: I studied Environmental Engineering for my master’s degree from 2009 to 2012. However, I only began applying this knowledge in Indonesia in 2019 when new, stricter environmental laws were introduced. As a result, I now employ more than 30 engineers in the new environmental-based company I started with my business partner. Education should be viewed as an investment in self-improvement and personal growth, rather than merely a financial return. Its value lies in the skills, knowledge, and personal development it provides, which can have long-term benefits beyond immediate financial gains.

Read. Often. Follow your curiosity. In professional settings we frequently talk about diversity but we seldom articulate the value of diverse, accumulated experiences. When you are curious you may learn more frequently and from many different experiences. Reflecting daily and weekly on what are 3 things I learned today and what do I want to learn tomorrow and what obstacles, if any, do I have to this “practice” can take 5 minutes but often many be more valuable than entire day, weeks or months of other activity.