Who is responsible for professional development? For a crystal clear answer to that question, just look in the mirror. You took the initiative to excel in school. You hustled to get your job. Now it’s time for you to invest the same energy in keeping it and in earning your next promotion.
Sure, office politics and the economy are contributing factors, but so what? You can talk yourself into letting other people and external circumstances limit your growth potential. Or you can get over the outside stuff, dig deep, tap into what’s already inside you, and strive to make it better! No matter the field–academic, corporate, industrial, or non-profit–the onus for our professional development is on us! [Pun intended!]
Who is responsible for professional development apart from you? Some enlightened employers have finally figured out that it’s simply more profitable to treat their employees like valued resources, instead of like spare parts in their corporate machine. So they invest in employee training opportunities to attract, keep, and groom the brightest and best workers in the marketplace.
Who is responsible for professional development
But at the end of the day, if you’re not hungry enough to put yourself out there, you may have been in your comfort zone for too long–and that comfort zone may have morphed into a dead end for you professionally.
The truth is that if you’re in a dynamic profession versus just “holding down” a job, then learning has to become a lifestyle choice. Do you need to finish your undergraduate studies or perhaps take the plunge and go for a graduate degree? Are there conferences, seminars, webinars, or other kinds of coursework you can take advantage of to keep abreast of the latest developments in your field–which will make you more knowledgeable and therefore more marketable?
One of the first learning tools you should consider taking advantage of is a DiSC personality profile. I mean while you’re mapping out your future as a returning student, it might be helpful to identify the type of student you’ve become. What kind of learning style resonates with you? What does your “best self” look like in your own mind? A DiSC personality profile can help you chart the course toward understanding, accepting, and improving yourself–not just the professional you, or the studious you, but the authentic you.
DiSC stands for Dominance, Influencing, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness–attributes we all have, but that are weightier in some of us than in others. Your DiSC profile will help you to embrace those personal attributes that make you you. And it can help you recognize and exploit your best traits and learn how to strengthen your weaknesses.
Who is responsible for professional development? Sorry–the answer is still you, but if you’re armed with a DiSC personality profile, the process will be painless and productive.