Why Design Your Own Professional Development Program?

Feb. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- A couple of months ago, I was invited to speak at the Abu Dhabi popular career exhibition, Najah. As most of the exhibition's visitors were students and new graduates, I was encouraged to speak about the importance of developing a Professional Development Plan (PDP). As I prepared for the presentation, I recalled the first time I completed one, and how excited I was to sit with my manager and discuss my development and growth path. After all, I came from a business environment where one did not talk about promotion or ambition, but simply worked hard and hoped that someone would notice your efforts and feel you deserved a raise or promotion. That was years ago, of course.
 
Nowadays, the business environment is much different. I have been told by so many recruitment professionals that they sometimes meet with job candidates who, during their very first interview, inquire about developing career and development plans. The recession has affected that to some extent, but I am certain once the economy rebounds, development plans will once again top business agendas in relation to attracting, hiring and retaining talent.
 
This article, though, is not about the professional plan that your company creates for you. Rather, it is about the one you create for yourself -- which is, in my opinion, the most interesting and rewarding one to create! Surprised? Please allow me to explain:

¨       Responsibility

When you create your PDP -- and you commit to achieving it -- you take responsibility for your life. You feel powerful and in control. You know where you stand, where you are heading, and you are then able to choose the best route to get there while still enjoying the journey.

¨       Saving Time & Effort

When you are clear about your plans, you save yourself a lot of time, and time is the most precious asset anyone can ever have. You don’t hang around like so many people do, waiting until something happens to wake you up. You take charge of your destiny, making use of every moment of your life to attain your goals in pleasurable ways.  

¨       Clarity

How many times have you heard someone say they don't know what they want? I, for one, hear it all the time. The question I always reply with is this: Have you ever invested the time in sitting down and writing what it is that you really want in life and in your career? PDP gives you clarity about the present and the future. When you take time to do this, you realize what you are doing now, why you are doing it, and how your present actions can help you reach your future goals.


¨       Choice

You do have a choice! You make choices each moment of your life, even though there are times you might not feel that you do. If you think carefully, you will see that you do. For example, when you let others make decisions for you about your future or career plans, you made a choice to give them control!

Creating a PDP yourself gives you back control over your choices and gives you power over your life. Your future is like a blank canvas, waiting to be turned into a beautiful painting. It is up to you to decide what you want it to look like.

¨       Long-Term Employability

We live in a volatile business climate. Your fellow competitors are mobile, willing to travel the world, move to another country or work in a cosmopolitan atmosphere. The financial world is going through ups and downs with no end in sight. Consequently, your success depends upon being employable and professionally at the top of your game! In order to compete, you must invest in yourself to become a knowledgeable, experienced guru. Sound risky? That investment in yourself can easily develop your career into a cash-generating machine. How? Specialize, find a niche, and plan to become an expert in what ever field you choose. This is when YOU become a rare currency who is always needed, no matter what state the economy is in.

¨       Satisfaction at Work

When you are in an influential position, backed by a clear development plan that helps you become an expert in your field, you will experience a powerful sense of self-confidence. That confidence will come naturally when you realize the power that your knowledge, experience, control, commitment and responsibility gave you. You can then choose where you want to work and what you want to do. You will become proactive, rather than reactive, within your profession. And the natural result will be more satisfaction, personally and professionally, in whatever workplace you ultimately choose.
 
In the next article, we will discuss how to create your own PDP using the new version I created of the GROW model, and why it is different than anything else you have ever seen!
 

Hanan Nagi

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