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Don’t Leave Your Professional Development To Chance

Are you leaving your own learning and development to chance or have you invested time in thinking about your personal and professional development?

When I am talking to people about their continuing professional development (CPD) I am often surprised how many haven’t actually considered their own development. Or they see CPD as simply a number of hours of “development” to be racked up to meet the requirements of a particular professional body they belong to. Many professional bodies require a specific number of hours per year in order for individuals to retain their membership and there is no particular thought given to the content of those hours actually developing the individual.

With new technology and increasingly skilled competition, I believe that there is simply no room to become stagnant in your career. People who are not constantly pushing themselves to become more flexible, knowledgeable and valuable to the organisations they work for, or want to work for, will soon find that they are expendable. The world is changing and in order to stay relevant in your field, you must change and develop with it. For these and many other reasons, having a personal professional development plan is critical.

The Benefits Of Drafting A Personal Professional Development Plan

Taking the time to create a personal professional development plan, gives you the opportunity to consider upcoming industry changes and prepare for them. As certain operations become automated, you can ensure that you are the first to receive the necessary technical training. New strategies for promoting efficiency can be adopted by you even before these become standard and widely known. You will be poised for promotion and better able to sell yourself to other companies should the need ever arise. Moreover, you will have sufficient confidence in your up-to-date knowledge for starting commercial endeavours of your own, should you choose to the self employment route at some point.

Surprising Advantages That You Can Gain By Planning And Preparing For The Future

People who take the time to consider what lies ahead tend to be far more proactive than those who do not. These professionals are aware of what new opportunities will entail and they are far more likely to have the skills for succeeding in them. When you know what challenges you are likely to face throughout the course of building and furthering you career, few things are going to take you by surprise. Best of all, better preparedness will mean less stress.

There are, however, a few additional advantages that can be gained through the creation and use of a personal professional development plan. Lifelong learning and self-improvement are said to be two of the most effective strategies for promoting long-term brain health. So, ultimately having a plan for your continuous professional development could bolster and preserve your physical, emotional and mental health.

Getting Started

The first and most important step in this process is to identify where you’re going and how long you plan on taking to get there. If you are content with the company you work with and the position you hold, you will need to establish a plan that helps to keep you valuable. Growth within a company will make it necessary to acquire skills that are suitable to higher positions and reflective of the direction in which the business is moving.

Enhancing skills that are specific to your current job duties will make you a more desirable candidate when appealing to other businesses. Ultimately, you have to define your career goals, break these down into measurable objectives and then give yourself a feasible time frame for completing these objectives.

Irrespective of what your personal professional development goals might be, you should check in with your peers. Find out what others in your industry are doing to stay relevant. While many businesses are willing to create professional development plans for their employees and then use these as part of the performance review process, keep in mind that these could prove limiting when it comes to reaching the goals that you have personally set for yourself. You can still, however, rely on these to give you a greater sense of direction when seeking out workshops and training programmes that will add the most value.

Your Personal Professional Development Plan Is Never Complete

Once you have drafted a plan that is best representative of your personal goals, abilities and circumstances, you will have to do far more than simply adhere to it. This will need to be revised throughout the coming months and years in order to reflect your growth, new obligations and new challenges. In this way, this plan becomes far more than just a guide for fostering and boosting your professional career. It will also be a guide for continuous improvement and one that will constantly challenge you to become better skilled, more efficient and more valuable in your industry.

If you are looking for a template for your Personal Professional Development Plan then do take a look at the templates and examples which the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) offer here.

A World Of Learning Opportunities With JCI

I have quite often talked about JCI (Junior Chamber International) and the opportunities that it presented me with. It opened up a whole world of learning opportunities for me and helped me to develop many of the skills which I highlight on my CV Website at Paul Duxbury – Learning and Development Professional.

I have always been a keen advocate of people taking responsibility for their own learning opportunities especially if they are keen to progress in their careers. If you haven’t considered getting involved in something like JCI then let me tell you a little about it and my experience of being a member.

Junior Chamber International is one of the largest non-political and non-sectarian youth service organizations. It is an international organisation for men and women between the ages of 18 to 40 which has the aim and purpose of creating positive change in the world. They provide the opportunity to develop management and leadership skills through practical involvement in projects complimented by formal training sessions, conferences and other activities.

During my time as a member and in time a local, regional and national officer I was involved in projects which enabled me to develop and improve my knowledge and skills whilst at the same time contributing to improving the communities in which we worked. From being involved in, leading or organising training conferences, Manchester’s Lord Mayor’s Parade, The Outstanding Young People Programme, Prison Visiting, Schools Public Speaking competitions I was able to develop many skills as I took advantage of the world of learning opportunities which JCI offered.

I had the opportunity to hold various offices including Local Chamber President, Regional Group Chairman North West; National Awards Manager, National Public Speaking Project Manager, National Chamber Development Director and National Assigned Officer to Northern Ireland. Each of these roles afforded me the opportunity to learn and develop skills in public speaking, project management, team leadership and development, networking and negotiating and so many more.

JCI also offered me the opportunity to gain recognition taking part in National Debating Championships and National Public Speaking Championships and to train as a Trainer with JCI delivering training locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. I was also awarded the highest JCI Accolade a JCI Senatorship in recognition of the level of involvement and contribution to the organisation.

I credit JCI with enabling me to move into the Learning and Development profession at a management level. I well recall that when I applied for my first Training Management role I was competing with nearly 100 other applicants. Almost all of them had a formal Institute of Training and Development qualification and I was one of the few who didn’t. However, the experience and knowledge I had acquired through JCI coupled with my commitment to seeking out learning opportunities secured me the role.

So if you are open to learning opportunities why now take a look at JCI UK or if you are outside the UK start at JCI. You will discover a world of learning opportunities and you will not regret it!

For Learning and Development Professionals There’s More To Life Than CIPD

No this isn’t a Work/Life Balance related post and nor is it a criticism of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) for whom I have an immense amount of respect.

It’s more something that I have become very aware of as I am now actively in job search mode and looking for a new role as a Learning and Development Professional. One of the things I have noticed is that there seems to be an increasing number of employers and their recruiters who are stipulating CIPD as a requirement for Learning and Development Professionals roles. That would be fine if that was the only qualification in town however, as those who operate in the L&D arena will be all too well aware there are various institutes focused on the profession whose qualifications and related post-nominal letters are based on practical as well as theoretical understanding of the L&D arena. For those who may not be aware of them they include

BILD – British Institute of Learning and Development
ITOL – Institute of Training and Occupational Learning
LPI – Learning and Performance Institute

Those readers of a similar age to me may well remember the ITD (Institute for Training and Development) which was the preeminent L&D organisation before it merged into the IPM to become the CIPD. Many members of the ITD never felt quite at home in an Institute which at that time had a primary focus on the Personnel side of Human Resources. That’s why many of the Learning and Development Professionals that I know migrated to the organisations I mentioned above. They are all institutes which are focused on certificating high standards of delivery from Learning and Development professionals

So why is it that we don’t see any mention of the three Learning and Development focused Institutes? I think it comes down to a lack of awareness. Many of the recruiters who have come from HR backgrounds will be familiar with (and probably have) the CIPD qualifications. Therefore when a client/employer asks them what a relevant qualification is they will automatically think of the CIPD and the client will accept their suggestion.

So what needs to happen? Well obviously there needs to be more awareness raising across the recruitment industry as a starting point and we need to see ITOL, LPI and BILD doing more to promote the relevance of their Institutes to the Learning and Development profession.

I mentioned this yesterday on Twitter and was delighted to see an almost instant response from BILD and also from two of the HR Recruitment Agencies in Manchester/North West – Adam Recruitment and Ashley Kate HR. They all indicated that they wanted to talk to one another. Now, having facilitated the start of a conversation, by introducing them to one another, I will watch with interest to see what comes of it.

ITOL and LPI the ball is in your court! What are you going to do to connect with recruiters and start raising awareness of the Institutes so that those Learning and Development professionals who have not gone down the CIPD route don’t find themselves excluded from roles which only stipulate CIPD? I look forward to seeing what happens there too.

Have Your Done A Personal SWOT Analysis?

As someone who calls themselves a Learning and Development Professional you will understand, I am sure, that I am a great believer in the importance of continuous personal and professional development.

The word ‘continuous’ means that it is a process which never ends. Personal Development and indeed professional development are things which continue throughout our working lives and beyond.

Over the years as I have worked with people both in groups and individually one of the things that I have seen with many is that the cause of dissatisfaction they experience with their careers and with the way their lives are going is the disconnect between what they are doing and what is important to them.

I have talked about this before in terms of personal values in my article about Aligning our Career and our Values. However I want to take a different perspective on it here and look at ways in which each of us can start to tackle the issues by looking at how we can use a Personal SWOT Analysis to give shape to our learning and development activity as individuals.

What is a Personal SWOT Analysis?

I am sure that you are already aware that many business organisations commonly use Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis as a tool to analyse themselves, frequently as part of their Business Planning processes. It forms the basis for their future activity and also can provide valuable insights into why things are as they are at the time they do the SWOT Analysis.

A SWOT analysis, though predominantly used in organisations can be used just as effectively at a personal level. By taking a look at yourself in this way you can determine where you need to focus your efforts in terms of your self-improvement and personal development.

Here are a few thoughts in each of the four areas that you might want to consider during your SWOT analysis, both from your own point of view as well as from that of an independent observer. In fact once you have completed your first draft you might want to share it with others to get their feedback.

Strengths

Your strengths include all the things you are good at doing. These are the personality traits that make me unique and differentiate me from others. Your strengths are what help to make you effective at a professional as well as a personal level.

In assessing your strengths you may want to consider the following:

The things that you are capable of doing better than others.
Three skills and abilities that possess which others admire and respect.
Your achievements using my skills and efforts as a professional.
Your educational or professional qualifications.
Your personal qualities that stand out through my work and in my behaviour.

Weaknesses:

Although some will argue that you should focus on developing your strengthst rather than worrying about your weaknesses if you have identified areas that you want or need to develop then include them here.

So, your weaknesses are those things which are, in your opinion, not suitably developed. They are the things which are acting as a barrier to your personal growth and to the achievement of your objectives.

In considering your weaknesses or areas for development you might want to think about the following:

The single thing that generates the greatest amount of fear in you in your professional and/or personal life.
Three things that people youu trust say you need to change or correct.
The things that you are required to do that you would rather steer clear of, for the reason that you are apprehensive or afraid to do them.
Personality traits that keep you from taking a stand against something that you believe is wrong.
Characteristics in you that prevent people from seeking your help in areas where you would like to offer your help.

Opportunities:

These are the chances that you have to develop yourself positively, to become more self-confident and perhaps even to enhance your trust in your own capabilities.

An in-depth study of your opportunities will cover:

The steps you need to take to ensure that your strengths are accentuated.
Identification of the people who can help you with your personal and professional development.
Identification of opportunities that are available to you to demonstrate your capabilities to your superiors and co-workers.
The ways in which you can contribute your services to help others with their workload, that will also display your useful and proactive nature.
The opportunities to project yourself and the things that you do in a positive light.

Threats:

Threats are impediments and obstacles in the way of my attaining excellence in the things that I undertake to do.

Your assessment of threats could involve:

Identification of the things that hinder your efforts at excelling in everything you do as well as the steps that will help in overcoming these hindrances.
Identification of people who may hinder the advancement of your professional career and what you need to do to address them.
Pinpointing impediments in the workplace that may stop you securing promotions and how to remove them or overcome them.
Identification of peers who could compete against you for a job and what skills you need to develop to be in a better position to apply.

A thorough Personal SWOT analysis will reveal areas which you need to focus on in terms of your learning and development or personal development. Dealing with your weaknesses appropriately and with a clear focus on your strengths will make you feel renewed, leaving you energised and ready to confidently take on all new opportunities that present themselves. The Personal SWOT analysis is a great way to get a clearer picture of where you are right now and what you need to do to move forward and focus on your continuous personal and professional development.

In a future article I will look at how, with these insights, you can create your own Personal Development Plan but for now take the time to complete your Personal SWOT Analysis.

Learning Opportunities Are Like Chocolates

Given that it’s Easter I have been thinking about chocolate! We cannot always have the choice of chocolate sweets we want but sometimes being open to the other choices available to us can help us to discover something new and enjoyable.

As much as it pains those of us who work in Learning and Development, nowadays in many organisations, justifying a spend on professional development of staff can be challenging. Unless we can show that there is a direct and almost immediate relationship between professional development and the bottom line the cost can be hard to justify. Even with a rigorous analysis of the Return on Investment (ROI) all too often at a time when money is tight we will find that the costs will not be agreed or our proposed solution will be watered down.

So, as I am sure you are all too aware many organisations really struggle with the idea of funding personal development that they cannot align with organisational bottom line improvements. Yet, we will be approached by enthusiastic individuals who want to develop themselves and make, as they perceive it, an improved contribution to the organisation. So how do we as Learning and Development professionals respond to those sort of approaches? We are of course keen to encourage individuals to develop themselves and don’t want to discourage them. But we know that the money will not be there for them to attend the course they have identified.

I am a firm believer in thinking outside the box when it comes to learning/personal development. It does not have to have a financial cost to the organisation at all. There are a wealth of opportunities for people to develop skills through volunteering, through joining organisations like Junior Chamber International (JCI) etc which they can pursue.

I believe that we as learning facilitators should be encouraging staff to think creatively about their learning opportunities. As an example in my early career I wanted to develop my public speaking skills so I joined an organisation (out of hours) which enabled me to do just that. If someone who wants to develop their leadership skills approaches you then why not talk to them about the opportunities in their local community or through voluntary organisations to develop those skills?

Equally if someone wants to learn how to chair meetings a simple way to start is to get them to observe the chair of meetings they attend, note the positive behaviours and those that don’t necessarily deliver results and then seek opportunities to practice those skils.

Being open to the learning opportunities all around us is something which many of us who work in the field are open to as individuals. Let’s not forget that they are also opportunities which we can encourage those who come to us looking for funding for training to consider as well. It might not be their first choice but like the chocolates they may discover something they really like!