Most companies talk about career development opportunities, especially when they are selling you the job during an interview! Many companies make good on their promises once you are hired and do a great job of developing their employees. But what if your employer doesn’t do this perhaps due to lack of funds, lack of interest, or some other reason? Also, even in good companies, the areas you wish to develop may not align with the areas the company wishes you to develop. Ultimately, you need to take responsibility for your own development, whether that involves activities you carry out within your workplace or those you carry out elsewhere.
Self-development is a must if you want to reach your career goals as well as your personal goals. To chart a meaningful career path, you must continually invest in yourself and seek out avenues that can help you expand both professionally and personally. The range of possibilities is wide; from developing new skill sets to cultivating relationships with professionals, seeking out unconventional growth avenues, and avoiding unproductive habits, there are many ways for ambitious individuals to take control of their own personal development journey.
In this blog post, we’ll offer some tips on how to do just that. So, if you’re ready to start your plan for self-improvement, keep reading to find out the secrets to reaching your full potential.
Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself is essential for personal and professional growth. One challenge many people have, especially if they work in an industry that offers many potential career paths, is knowing where to start. To help address this, a growth mindset is essential, as this will allow you to be open to new possibilities and consider the paths that may be worth exploring. A good place to begin forming an opinion on how you would like to grow is to consider taking advantage of more traditional learning opportunities. These include evening classes, workshops, or reading relevant professional books, magazines, or websites in your field. These are great ways to begin to understand the numerous ways you could choose to develop yourself.
By going to lectures and workshops, you can keep up with the latest changes in your field. It’s also a great way to network with other people in your industry who may have valuable insights or advice on how to progress your career. You can find plenty of online options, such as webinars, as well as local classes at universities or training centres that offer specialised programmes related to whatever your area of interest may be.
Don’t wait for someone else! Investing in yourself is the best way to ensure your own success. There are many ways to do this, but you should put the focus on honing and cultivating fresh capabilities that can open up extra possibilities for personal progress.
Develop Your Skillsets
Anyone who wants to stay on the cutting edge needs to keep improving their skills. Keeping up with new technologies and software programs, writing effectively, and having excellent public speaking abilities are all key components to succeeding in this field.
Most industries are using computers, automation, and even machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) more. Keeping abreast of such new technologies, systems, and software and how they are being used in your field can help you become more efficient at work. If your employer doesn’t offer training on this new technology, take advantage of the various online courses available on sites like Udemy or LinkedIn Learning to complete programmes relevant to your field. Many of these are cheap or even free.
Even for non-technology-related skills, there are many online courses available, whether this is for calligraphy, climbing, or cooking. You can also attend seminars or workshops that focus on specific topics related to the areas you are interested in. Attending such in-person sessions can not only expand your understanding but also provide a chance to connect with similar professionals.
Two underestimated and often overlooked skills most employees need are writing and speaking. Writing is an important part of communication within any organisation and in many roles; therefore, it’s important for you to assess whether this is an area in which you need to improve. If you want to brush up on your writing skills, you could read books written by experts in the field or take a course on business writing to learn useful tips. There are also resources online to help with this.
Speaking effectively, and even public speaking, is another skill that should be mastered if you want to stand out from others, for example, during interviews, presentations at conferences, or just to perform better in team meetings. Start small: practise presenting in front of friends and family members first (or even just the mirror!), then gradually build up your confidence until you feel comfortable enough talking in front of larger groups.
Whatever you decide the skills you need to improve are, it is an important part of growing as a person. This section is just a sample of some of the types of skills you may want to improve and offers suggestions on where to start. It’s important to think for yourself about the skills you need for your current or future roles and put together a skill development plan to build on them. Ideally, this would be with the support of your manager, but even if they can’t or won’t support you, you should take control of your own career plans!
Cultivate Professional Relationships
Having strong professional relationships is essential for success in the workplace. Building connections with fellow professionals and staying up-to-date on industry trends can be accomplished by joining professional organisations and associations. Mentorship programs and mentors offer an invaluable chance to gain knowledge from those who have had success in their careers. Additionally, connecting with colleagues on social media platforms or through email, phone calls, or video chats can help you stay connected even when you’re not able to meet face-to-face.
Professional organisations and associations provide an ideal environment for networking, learning about new trends, exchanging ideas, and making important connections that could prove beneficial down the line. For example, attending conferences sponsored by these groups allows you to connect with other professionals while getting an inside look at best practices within the industry. Also, joining a local chapter of a national organisation gives you access to more local events, like seminars or workshops, where you can talk about things that are important to your region’s needs and problems.
Mentorship programmes offer another opportunity for self-development. A mentor with success in the career path you’re striving for can provide priceless wisdom that would otherwise take a long time to gain from trial and error. When you talk to your mentor on a regular basis, you’ll learn how they handle different tasks, which will help you do the same when you’re in a similar situation in the future.
By networking with industry professionals, you can gain valuable insights and form beneficial relationships. would otherwise take years of experience alone.
Pursue Unconventional Opportunities for Growth and Development
As discussed, it’s important to constantly challenge yourself to keep growing. One way of doing this could be to pursue more unconventional opportunities for growth and development. To do this, you can take on side projects or freelance work to expand your skill set or experience level. This could be anything from working with a start-up company to developing a new website for an organisation. Volunteering for good causes is also a great way to learn how to be a leader or make connections in the community. Gaining experience in leadership and networking through charitable activities can help to sharpen communication abilities while also providing a chance to engage with individuals from different fields.
Additionally, trying out different jobs is another great way to explore different career paths or industries that may not have been available otherwise. For instance, taking on a temporary job at an advertising firm may be a great way to gain insight into the marketing world and develop new skills. If you are considering this type of outside work, do check with your current employer that this doesn’t breach any of your employment terms.
Avoid Unproductive Habits That Can Hinder Self-Development
This final section is less about development than it is about the things that impede development. There are a number of ways our best intentions can be derailed. First among these is procrastination, as delaying tasks can hugely impede personal growth. Often, procrastination occurs because the work ahead seems overwhelming. One way to address this is to break down bigger goals into achievable steps and set realistic timeframes. We all have tasks that we need to complete, but it’s easy to put them off until the last minute. To combat this habit, break down larger tasks into smaller chunks and set deadlines for each of them. This way, you can make progress in manageable pieces instead of feeling overwhelmed by an entire project at once. The sense of achievement in completing a small step can encourage continued progress. Additionally, when setting deadlines, give yourself plenty of time so that you don’t feel rushed or pressured to finish too quickly.
When you find that your progress has stalled, take a break and do things that will help you keep your energy and enthusiasm up. Go for a jog, catch up with friends or family members, read books or articles related to your profession—all of these can give you the much-needed breather that can reinvigorate and re-energise.
Lastly, professionals should try to avoid getting stuck in one place so that their efforts to grow don’t go to waste. If you find yourself “stuck in a rut,” then challenge yourself by trying new things, like some of the activities mentioned above: take on side projects or freelance work outside of your job responsibilities; volunteer for charitable causes; explore different jobs within the same industry; attend networking events; etc. Doing these things will help expand your skill set and knowledge base while also keeping you engaged and motivated about learning more. In turn, this will keep you on track with your development goals.
Conclusion
You are in charge of your own development, whether career-related or personal. While your employer can and should help with the job-related aspects of this, not all do so. Therefore, you need to be in the driver’s seat. Identify what you want to work on, create a written plan with realistic goals and timescales, and hold yourself accountable for following it through. Ensure you have considered all the possible activities and interactions that can help you achieve your goals, but don’t be afraid to change them if things don’t work out as planned. With the right effort, great things will happen!
