November 7th, 2010 
jvremec
It’s a Great Time for Professional Growth and Development
Author: Randy Goruk
One of the great things about life is that we get to make choices about many things, including our professional growth and development.
Think how we enter a new year. We sit down and reflect on the past year and ascertain a few minor changes or improvements are in order. We conclude it’s a perfect time to set some new goals. So we do. Our goals usually revolve around diet, finances, relationships, or getting organized. But rarely does our fresh set of goals include anything to do with professional growth and development.
Personal professional growth and development is all about you taking the initiative to improve yourself as a leader. Exactly what that means to you will mean something different to someone else. Only you know the areas you need to improve in to make a better contribution to those that you serve or to those that you work with.
Those that choose to ignore or postpone their professional growth and development are doing themselves, their families, their co-workers and everyone else they touch a tremendous disservice.
It’s a great time to get energized and excited about taking your career and professional growth to a higher level. I recommend the following 5-steps to help you get there.
1. Commitment
Improving yourself always takes a commitment. This simply means that you will need to dedicate time on your calendar to work towards achieving your professional goals. To start, I recommend you allocate a minimum of 4 hours per week for professional development. Yes I know you’re busy. Your day is full now and you don’t know where you’ll find the time. But it’s important to your future, so take a serious look at how you spend your time and get rid of any time wasting activities now and replace it with professional development.
2. Prioritize
Ask yourself, what 3 areas do I need to improve in the most to make the biggest difference in doing my job and advancing my career?
You should know. If you don’t, ask your boss or your co-workers what they would like to see you improve in. Or you could do a self assessment on crucial skills for your position or the position you are targeting for future advancement.
As an example, if you know that the next step up the ladder for you will require a solid understanding of financial statements but this is a weak area for you well you better get to work on it because when that job opens up you’ll want to be ready.
Or perhaps you just want to get better at some of the skills of your current job. Become a better listener, improve your delegation skills, improve your time and stress management abilities.
3. Plan
Once you know your professional development priorities, you now need to establish a professional development training plan. Your plan should be in writing and should contain goals … specific goals.
If a plan and specific goals are critical to the success of a business, then having a professional development plan with specific goals are critical to your success as well.
In your plan you must consider the power of the World Wide Web. You will find articles, blog postings, newsletters, webinars, tele-seminars, advice columns, quizzes, videos, stories and they are all free.
Obviously there are also a ton of books that you can help you. Choosing the right one or a good one is always challenging. Don’t try to do it alone, ask others for their book recommendations on your area of interest.
Your plan can include listening to CD’s or watching DVD’s reading. You can search out local training seminars or workshops. You can also rely on a mentor or a coach to help you.
4. Implementation
Once your plan is in place it’s time for you to be serious and dedicated to implementation. It is easy to let your personal professional development plan slide, just like the diet plan. But don’t let it happen. Be persistent and hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals. Find ways to keep yourself motivated.
Reward your successes and accomplishments.
5. Repeat
Professional growth and development isn’t a onetime event, it’s an ongoing lifetime experience … but only if we choose it.
If we don’t care about our own professional growth and development, who will?
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/its-a-great-time-for-professional-growth-and-development-1722917.html
About the Author
Randall Goruk is the founder and President of Leaders Edge 360 — a Leadership Consulting and Coaching Company with a North American client base. He is a seasoned corporate executive and professionally certified career coach. As an executive coach, Coach Goruk offers over 34 years of “real world” business and leadership experience, including 5 years of professional coaching. Visit his website at http://www.leadersedge360.com or contact him at Randy@LeadersEdge360.com.
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Personal and professional growth?
What types of things could student counsellors do to enhance their personal or professional development?
More interaction and feedback from students and free discussion with peers.
Keep abreast with latest infos by surfing, seminars, new courses and curriculum will also be helpful.
Personal development with little mediatation will help you to balance your personality.
How should I respond when asked “Why are you looking for another job?” during a job interview?
I have been working as an Executive Support Officer with a company for just over 3 months and it’s totally not what i expected it to be. Although I am not being treated badly, I noticed that I am being relegated to menial and tedious tasks, and that my real skills are not being utilized. I feel that I am wasting my time here and that I am not getting any professional growth or development. I am now looking for other opportunities externally. Is 3 months on the job too soon to be looking for another job? And whats’ the most effective answer that I can give when asked during the job interview “why are you looking for another job”? As much as possible I don’t want to say anything negative about my present place of work, but I also don’t want to waste my time, as well as letting other better opportunities pass by.
Before you go for an interview for a company, do some research on the company. Discuss what you have learned about the company(its history, growth and reputation) how your personality,skills and work ethic would be useful to the companys benefit. Explain how you understand that everyone is not suited for every job position, but you are a diligent worker who gives your best at all you do and you need a company with a solid reputation for professionalism and demands the best from their employees and that those very qualities are something that you as a person represent. The fact that you have not been on the job very long does not look good. But you can be honest and tell them as you said “that your real skills are not being utilized” on your current job, because either way they are going to want you to explain for any gaps in employment ,if you do not include that job. Three months is not a long time on a job, but being unemployed for three months, you are going to have some explaining to do. It can go either way for you, but do not give anymore information than necessary, the interviewer will surmise from your responses what kind of individual that you are, and if you area good candidate for the job, all you can do is try to do your best and be sincere, not phony. Sell yourself! Good luck! and think positive!
Is it true that professional growth in IT companies is stunted if a person does not go into management?
I’m totally interested in web development and I’m not really into management. People keep telling me that unless I go into management, my professional growth in software companies like Infosys, Wipro, TCS and CTS is virtually nil. Is that true? Aren’t there any technical positions that are high up in the hierarchy and pay just as much as managerial postions?
Many companies have realised this is a problem and have created senior technical roles. Otherwise, they promote the wrong people into management and performance is bad or they leave, or both! I know a lot of people that are called a variety of things like “Senior System Architect”, “Technical Evangelist”, etc. Ask about these things when you are interviewing – every company is different and most will regard the fact you are considering your long term future as a positive thing at interview.
Any ideas on creating a portfolio for teaching?
What specific outcomes or standards will you use to organize your portfolio entries?
What artifacts will you use to demonstrate your professional growth and development?
That really depends. Honestly, I have never been asked for a portfolio. I have taught in 2 states, been to dozens of interviews, and I am now a vice-principal. If this is a requirement for licensing, just do what the teacher asks because it will collect dust after that.
However, if you know you will need it, here are the basics.
1. Classroom management evidence (positive note home form, discipline log, anything you create for management)
2. Letters of reccomendation, resume
3. Self created lesson plan (just 1)
4. Student work (only the absolute best)
5. Statement of educational philosophy
6. Anything impressive you have created
Bottom line, keep it simple. Principals hate portfolios. So, if it a requirement, make sure it is a brief presentation. The coolest one I have ever seen was a powerpoint/multimedia presentation. Tech knowledge is a must have.
Consider these seven areas in relationship to your own abilities.?
Educators take on a variety of roles in the classroom. Seven roles that have been identified as central to teaching are the teachers as motivator, manager, instructional expert, counselor, model, leader, and reflective professional (one who continually reviews, evaluates and adjust her/his teaching style for professional growth and development).
Consider these seven areas in relationship to your own abilities. Which areas do you feel are most important and why? Which areas are you strongest in and why? What areas do you feel might challenge you?
You can not separate the 7 areas. All are of equal importance. The best teachers have all of these. If I had to pick one, it would be reflective professional.