“When you get better, your business gets better!” – one of my favorite quotes from my awesome business coach, Suzanne Evans. I have always been an advocate (and participant) in professional development.
One of the questions I hear frequently from my clients and colleagues is ‘how do you manage to get things like that (professional development) into your busy calendar? Continuous learning, for me, is not optional – it’s mandatory. My intention is to keep learning and become the very best at my craft.
As a professional, you’ve got to keep on growing. Things change quickly these days – you’ve got to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of business. Mediocrity sucks!
Here are a few things I do to keep professional development as a priority in my calendar.
1) PLAN MY YEAR.
I meet with my business coach to create a plan for my business for the year. This is a no-brainer for me. I create the plan and work the plan. That plan always includes professional development for me – and it must relate to my business of coaching and/or speaking. That’s the first step.
2) IDENTIFY THE TRAINING PROGRAMS.
Once we have created the business plan for the year, I then identify training programs that will position me to up-level in the business. I am fortunate in that my own coach offers this type of professional development and so it’s easy then to schedule it right into my calendar. I also plan on attending 2 other professional development sessions throughout the year – this year, they are based on Christian Leadership events in May and August. I know what I am attending – I put it into my calendar right away – and then I’m good to go. Everything else in my business gets scheduled around that. Period.
3) SET SPECIFIC GOALS FOR GROWTH/MASTERY.
Once the business plan is finalized, I am quite clear on the competency gaps that will take me to the next level in business. I set specific goals – personal, professional and organizational – and stay very clear and focused on the ‘why’ of each professional development event/opportunity.
4) IMPLEMENT THE LEARNING.
One of my favorite expressions is ‘she who implements, wins!” And it’s true. One of the reasons I have been so successful is that I create ‘action plans’ following any training session I have attended. I am clear on my personal, professional and organizational goals – I write down the action steps I will take – and I transfer them right into my calendar. Good intentions will get you nowhere! I typically will have 3 action steps for each category – and once they have been implemented, I will go back to my session notes and pull out 3 more action steps to be implemented. I ensure that the training and notes do NOT become ‘shelf help’.
5) READING TO SUPPORT MY GOALS.
There is a TON of great content and information available these days. Once my business plan is created, my professional development goals have been identified and I attend various training sessions – the only material I read then is in support of those goals. Bottom line, for instance, is that I only subscribe to 3 ezines that provide content to support those goals. I unsubscribe to everything else. It will always be available – but I make sure that I do not have ‘clutter’ in my in-box or in my brain once I am focused on learning, and mastering, a new business skill. This has served me well. F.O.C.U.S.
6) CELEBRATION.
I work hard. I learn lots. I implement constantly and quickly. And then I reward myself. It’s all part of the process. Then I ‘rinse and repeat’ the cycle. It’s important, in my opinion, to reward myself. Keeps me interested – makes it fun – and it’s a bit of a distraction from the constant state of learning and working.
I read a great quote once that said ‘Make dust – don’t rust!” As an entrepreneur in this fast-paced world, it’s important to stay relevant – to stay current – to be innovative and creative in order to attract ideal clients and make money. You’ve got to keep on growing to keep on going.
What are you doing for Professional Development this year? We’d love to hear! Please share your thoughts!
