As August draws to a close, client management professionals have a unique window of opportunity. They’re at a moment when the pace of business is open just enough to make space for growth and learning before the busy season picks up.
Think of it as a reset button. When your calendar isn’t quite as packed with back-to-back client launches, you gain a chance to pause, reflect, and reinvest in yourself. The skills you sharpen now can be the very ones that help you excel when the busy season returns.
During peak months, it’s easy to get swept up in urgent client requests and shifting priorities. That leaves little room for professional development, even though it’s precisely those skills that create smoother implementations and stronger client partnerships. We’re talking about things like better communication, sharper project management, and deeper cross-team collaboration.
Summer offers a different rhythm. With fewer distractions, you can focus on building capabilities that add to your toolkit, but also change the way you approach your work.
Here are some practical ways to use the remaining weeks of summer to fuel your growth:
If you’ve ever thought about pursuing a project management credential, now might be the time to take the leap. PMI-aligned certifications signal credibility to clients and colleagues alike, while giving you frameworks you can apply immediately to implementations and onboarding projects.
Setuply’s PMI-aligned resources are designed with busy professionals in mind, blending right into real-world client work. The courses are practical, flexible, and grounded in everyday scenarios you already navigate. Earning PDUs becomes less about stepping away from your responsibilities and more about enhancing them.
Sometimes the best insights don’t come from a formal training program but from peers walking the same path. Summer can be an ideal time to join a webinar series, professional forum, or client success community.
For example, joining a roundtable on “navigating challenging clients” might spark an idea you can test in your next onboarding kickoff. Likewise, contributing your own experiences reinforces your expertise while expanding your network.
A great way to carry this momentum forward: Join us at Onboarding World 2025 this fall! You’ll connect with thought leaders, experts, and practitioners to share best practices, explore challenges, and gain hands-on experience. It’s a bridge from summer learning into fall application, expanding your network and expertise while keeping the spirit of growth alive.
When client-facing professionals understand how sales, support, and product teams operate, collaboration becomes more fluid. Summer is a perfect moment to schedule a shadow session or sit in on another department’s team meeting.
Imagine spending an afternoon with your customer success team. You may notice recurring issues that surface after handoff—insights you can use to strengthen implementation processes upstream. Or by listening in on a product team’s roadmap discussion, you might identify new features to highlight in the client success stage.
These small windows of observation often lead to sizable impact.
Pick one or two books that push your thinking on leadership, client success, or professional growth. But don’t stop at solo reading; invite a colleague or two to read along. Even an informal discussion over coffee can turn a single book into a shared learning experience.
For example, reading a leadership book that emphasizes “radical candor” could inspire your team to experiment with more open feedback loops, improving how you support clients and each other.
And did we mention that Donna Weber is also an author? Her book, Onboarding Matters, offers a practical framework for shifting onboarding from a checklist-driven project to a people-centered journey that delivers real value. It’s a thoughtful resource that pairs perfectly with the conversations in her recent webinar—and one worth adding to your summer reading list.
The goal with summer learning is to set one intention and take meaningful steps while the business pace allows it. Whether that’s enrolling in a PMI-learning module, joining a forum discussion, or shadowing a colleague, the momentum you build now carries forward.
When fall arrives—with full inboxes and packed project calendars—you’ll be glad you took this time. You’ll be ready to keep up and lead with fresh ideas, sharper skills, and renewed energy.
When you grow, your clients grow with you!