Many of us, no matter our walk of life, learned CPR in childhood as part of a health course in middle school or high school; you may have even tried out these life-saving skills during your college years as part of a club or civic service program.

You may believe that, given your profession, practicing CPR isn’t important; you don’t work in a hospital but in an executive suite, helping to make essential decisions for your organization. However, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid are important skills for everyone, no matter their walk of life, and that includes business leaders.

Thankfully, it’s never been easier to take CPR recertification courses with the advent of the internet: you can now train in CPR during downtime between meetings or on your evening commute. Here are three reasons why those at the highest echelons of organizations should pursue this essential training.

Colleagues May Face Health Emergencies That Need Immediate Intervention

The average age of a C-Suite executive is 54, but many are significantly older than this: the famed business mogul Warren Buffett is in his 90s and still highly active in his field. While having such a wealth of knowledge and experience in the boardroom is a valuable asset to any organization, it’s no secret that health problems rise with age. Plus, the long working hours, high stress levels, and sedentarism of a desk job can all lead to various ailments, including cardiopulmonary problems.

You truly never know when you might find one of your team members unresponsive in a conference room after suffering a heart attack, and you may not have time to wait for an ambulance to arrive before beginning life-saving measures. You must practice these critical skills so that you can be able to jump in at a moment’s notice and save a colleague’s life.

You Can Create a Culture of Safety In Your Organization

Organizations are formed by the activities and mentalities of their leaders, so you must be a good example for your employees. Whether that is taking time out of your busy schedule to volunteer, donating money to worthy organizations, or prioritizing physical fitness by offering your team members the use of a gym, your actions provide a strong example of how to behave and what to expect under your guidance.

Safety is foremost in every industry, as is being a good member of society, but it can be difficult to find ways to incorporate this into your corporate culture without taking time away from essential tasks. Thankfully, online CPR recertification courses are simple, affordable, and flexible, ensuring you don’t need to take a whole day off to learn how to save a life. You can complete training modules on your own time, as there is a long time period to achieve your certificate. There are no pressing deadlines – you have enough of that in your career.

Be a good example to your employees by sharing how you’re seeking to improve yourself through this basic first-aid training; you may even consider providing this recertification to your employees through group orders, offering incentives for signing up. This way, you prove to everyone that your organization cares about the community, which is a great PR boost.

Sharpen Your Mental Agility by Seeking Information Beyond Your Specialty

Mental fitness is everything for executives: you need to be sharp to parse information, make great decisions, and steer your organization in a positive direction while still satisfying shareholder demands. Many leaders fulfill this by prioritizing their physical health, learning languages to communicate with foreign shareholders, or taking educational courses in fields outside of their industry.

These are all wonderful and satisfying options, but they don’t necessarily provide the immediate and tangible value of learning to save a life through CPR retraining. Not only will you learn practical tips on how to intervene in an emergency, but you’ll also gain the confidence to make bold decisions and react quickly when there’s a medical issue in your organization. This mental agility doesn’t just help you respond to health concerns: it can empower you to think quickly through real-life scenarios and develop a critical interpersonal eye.

If you’re looking for a way to go beyond your profession, the simple and streamlined process of asynchronous online CPR recertification offers real-life value and helps to build a company culture of civic participation, continuous learning, and mental fitness. Learn the essential skills to save a life without disrupting your schedule while also feeling confident that you’re ready to tackle any emergency inside the boardroom and out on the street. It’s a small price to pay for such an immeasurable benefit: consider signing up today.