Until recently, the work of an HR executive resembled a lot like that of a secondary-school teacher or a paper-pusher/clerk who kept the office running smoothly and reprimanded the individuals who broke the rules. Presently, these execs focus more on people and their talents and as any skilled tutor, they help both the strugglers and the stars. In the future, it would be safe to bet on those in HR to be similar to championship coaches, mentoring the staff throughout their time in that company and becoming more essential than ever to business analytics and strategy.

With time, the role of the HR and Human Capital (HC) professionals has changed significantly alongside the labor force and economy, and that development will proceed as machines and technology replaces tasks once performed by people. In any case, that doesn’t make people―or the HC executives that work with them―any less significant. The upcoming HC leaders will need to think bigger and broader, and they will have to be technologically knowledgeable and deft enough to manage an increasingly dexterous and restless labor force.

As you graduate from your college or university, you think yourself, “Phew, I’m elated that is over.” However in reality, the process of learning has just started. While you might be thinking this implies you’ll advance into hands on learning, even though that is part of the process of landing a job as a fresher, there has to be a mindset for learning and growth in your life, regardless of what stage you’re at in your career. This usually doesn’t lead to earning degrees every few years, though this approach is suitable for some, but it can mean continuous education, diplomas, short courses and other elements of education.

Continuing a professional’s education is not just academic. It can be also be informal such as books, articles, podcasts, webinars, workshops, etc. This ongoing learning and updating of human capital executives seems to benefit only the executives alone. That is true, but only at the first glance. But on a deeper level, this personnel development will also help the individual businesses they work with and the respective industries also, when you think of the benefits in the long term. It is an ever changing landscape and technological advancements and new ways of doing things are invented every day. If your employees do not update themselves, with time they will lag behind in terms of skills. Instead of hiring new work force, send them for short terms certification courses or training workshops to close the gap on the skills they lack.

Another way of learning is through networking and sharing with other Human capital professionals. Instead of practicing a policy of that of silos, encourage your staff to attend networking events with other HR professionals, whether online or at venue. This can greatly benefit your company by aiding your staff to keep up with the fast-changing sector, share best practices and learn from other HR/HC professionals, while saving the organization some money.