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Embrace The Joy of Learning

The other day I briefly became involved in a discussion on Twitter about the need for people within Human Resources (HR) and Learning and Development (L&D) to engage in Continuous Professional Development (CPD.) That’s something I fully support because all of us need to keep abreast of developments within our own fields of expertise. However, there’s another reason I firmly believe that we should be engaged in CPD and that’s because we can have an impact on those we work with throughout our organisations.

I am passionate about what I tend to refer to as the sheer “joy of learning” and that it is something which can become infectious. By showing a real commitment, engagement with and joy at learning new things we can encourage others to engage with their own learning and development. If we act as role models for continuous professional development or learning then others can be influenced by us and the organisation as a whole will continue to grow.

I know that when it comes to ongoing learning and development in the workplace, the prospect of keeping your skills relevant on a continual basis may seem daunting. However, learning new things and increasing our marketable skills doesn’t have to be an laborious task it really can be a pleasure endeavour. The attitude which we adopt about the process can have a large impact upon our experience and that of those we work with. Continuing education can be an opportunity to discover the joy of learning with the right outlook. Let’s take a look at how rewarding it can truly be.

Not Just a Means To An End

You may feel that you must constantly hone your skills through continuing professional development, in order to remain competitive in the workplace. Or, perhaps your professional body or your company requires you to complete a minimum number of CPD hours each year. Either way, when you think of this as another hoop that you must jump through, it is likely to diminish your experience and even the amount of benefit that you receive from the development.

In contrast, whether taken voluntarily or mandated by your profession or organisation, continuing development can enrich your professional life. You will have access to the latest information, trends and techniques in your chosen field – allowing you to stay on the cutting edge. This will not only give you an advantage over your peers, but it can help you to become more efficient and effective as well. In addition, with new methods and ideas to try, it can provide you with more outlets to be creative and proactive about your daily tasks. All of these can work to bring you more joy in your professional duties, as you enjoy your career more.
Enjoy the Process

Yet, while the end result can be increased productivity, marketability and knowledge, part of the joy of learning comes from the process itself. Many people rarely get the opportunity to take time out just to learn in their adult life, and continuing development in the workplace provides you with the perfect chance.

You will be able to investigate areas of interest to you, or delve deeper into topics regarding your work that you’ve always been curious about. Learning new tips and skills also helps to keep your mind working well, and your cognitive abilities sharp. That’s why I would encourage you to approach your continuing professional development as a fun challenge, rather than just a necessary task.

The Benefits

Not only can ongoing learning and professional development provide you with new information and greater marketability – it can increase your earning power as well. This can work in several ways, the first being the greater mastery of your occupation. You’ll have more expertise to offer your employer, which can often translate into a bigger role or the opportunity to move on to a bigger role.

In addition, by keeping your work varied and your interest piqued, you’ll likely derive more pleasure from your job as well. How can this affect your earning capability? People who enjoy their work tend to do a better job, and invest more of themselves into their projects. Simply put, the more you enjoy your work and the more you learn about it, the greater your chances of advancement are.

Finally, by constantly improving and expanding your skills, you’ll have an advantage in the job market as well. You may find yourself being contacted by recruiters, or if you were to suddenly need another job, you should have less trouble finding a new position.

In summary, I firmly believe that ongoing learning and professional development in the workplace can be both a pleasurable and a beneficial experience. Rather than a duty that you must perform, it can be something that you should enjoy. It can not only enhance your understanding of your occupation, and provide you with valuable techniques and strategies for success, but it can inspire those you work with to embrace their own opportunities for learning and development. For all of these reasons, approaching your continuing professional development with a positive attitide is an opportunity to enrich your professional life and to embrace the the joy of learning.

Carry On Learning

Don’t worry Carry on Learning isn’t the next in the “Carry On” series of films which many in the UK will be familiar with. It’s rather a suggestion that if, like me (at the time of writing), you are searching for a new job then now is the perfect time to also look at gaining some new skills. I know that when I talk to other people who have been made redundant and are looking for a new role one of the comments I hear a lot is around how tedious they find constant scouring for a new job.

So rather than let that tedium get you down why not think about some things that you have always wanted to learn and set to it. So many effective and affordable online courses are available and some of them include a form of certification which you can then add to your CV. As an example I have enrolled on a couple of Coaching and Mentoring courses which will enable me to refresh my knowledge of current ideas and techniques which I know will be invaluable when I return to full time employment.

Or why not learn to use a piece of software that you have kept meaning to take a look at? I want to suggest one that I think you will find invaluable and which can also let you showcase your skills on many different levels. That piece of software is Prezi! If you haven’t yet come across Prezi then I think you are going to be impressed.

If you work in Learning and Development or have attended a training course then you will no doubt be familiar with PowerPoint. Indeed it has become the default presentation tool for many presenters in many organisations. Powerpoint is a great tool, however it has become boring and I am sure that you have heard the phrase “Death by PowerPoint” to describe the experience of sitting through slide after slide of a presentation. However, there is still a place for sharing information through slides, and that’s why I think you might want to take some time to learn how to use Prezi.

It is a web-based tool that has both free and paid for options. It provides much more flexibility, and it veers away from the usual slide-by-slide, linear way of presenting information. Prezi gives you the opportunity to create more dynamic presentations which will better capture your audience’s interest and attention.

A short while ago I suggested that you should learn something to add to your CV and that also enables you to showcase your newly learnt skills. That was what I had in mind when I decided that as part of my commitment to Carry on Learning I would learn how to use Prezi. Having read that people were creating Prezumes (Resumes or as we call them in the UK CVs) using Prezi I decided that was the route I would take in terms of applying my learning.

Having created it I shared it with a number of recruitment agencies and asked for their feedback. They acknowledged that as a standalone CV submission it could struggle in the context of the standard recruitment practices – which is a whole other discussion(!) their feedback was:

“super innovative & would make for a memorable candidate!” from Oasis HR and “a really eye catching method!” from Ashley Kate HR.

I will share some of the other benefits of using Prezi in another post and how to go about creating your first Prezi but for now here’s what I created: Paul Duxbury Learning and Development Professional CV. If you are not familiar with Prezi simply click on “Start Prezi” and then use the arrows at the bottom of the presentation screen to navigate through it. As I said at the outset now is a great opportunity to Carry On Learning!

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.