Personal development is key to success. Keep pushing ahead with these 5 focus areas.

nHere are the headlines.

1 – Create your career strategy

2 – Commit to lifelong learning

3 – Curate your personal brand

4 – Be adaptable

5 – Mentoring

When it comes to your development, I will keep beating the drum reminding you to take matters into your own hands. You’ve got to be as strategically proactive as you possibly can.

Some people proactively plan for their future. Studying, keeping a close eye on employers who may be offering apprenticeships and other entry-level opportunities, and seeking advice and mentorship from others.

Then on entering the world of work, many of us go from job to job with very little thought for strategic goals.

Busy with everyday life, the planning stops, the watchful eye on future employers….not so much, and actively seeking a mentor doesn’t seem necessary. If you are interested in change, consider rethinking this approach.

1. Create your career strategy.

A couple things straight off the bat:

This is not the personal development plan that you may have with your employer. Personal development plans created at work are focused on your trajectory with that employer and their goals.

This is about you being purposeful and planning how you will invest your time and resources in yourself to get to where you want to be.

This is not meant to be a rigid, tick box exercise. Your career strategy should be a well thought out guide designed specifically for you.

This is your guide, a flexible approach to living the life you want and not a rigid plan. You need to think about what direction you want to go in. You’ve also got to cater for the changes that will come in yourself and the world at large.

Time frame

The first place to start in your career strategy is the timeframe. Think of yourself, as your own business. A business owner will create their strategic plan, at a starting point, for the next 3 years.

That’s a good cue of how you should be planning as well. If you’ve done a personal development plan at work, you may notice that they’re usually created for the next 6-12 months. Don’t discount your immediate plans, including those as well, but you have got to look forward, think about what you want to achieve and start planning ahead!

Reflection

In addition to considering your timeframe, creating a business strategy requires in-depth analysis. You will need to carry out some in-depth reflection, and there are many tools built to support this:

A good example is a business SWOT.

Reflecting on and being really honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses can sometimes be difficult but it’s key to a solid strategy. If you have a good grasp of these, it will help you focus on areas for growth, where you can develop.

Now I said to think of yourself as a business, but we are people, so instead of opportunities and threats, you should be reflecting on your motivations and values.

Your Motivations

Are you motivated by external or internal factors? Or if you want to get more technical, let’s take a look at Daniel Pink’s theory of motivation in his book Drive. Daniel Pink looks at intrinsic motivations, “the drive to do things because it is interesting, challenging and absorbing.” Extrinsic motivation is the drive that comes from money and or praise.

In his book, Daniel Pink elevates intrinsic motivation above extrinsic. As much as I respect his theory, I also think that these may change over time. Therefore they may best be considered in combination with each other, so regular reflection on the balance you need to work toward is important.

Your Values

Understanding your values as it relates to work, will serve to help with your levels of job satisfaction. When distinguishing your values from your motivations, think of your values as your why and who. Who you are, who do you want to be? Think of your motivations as your what. What do you want, what will make you get up and go.

When you’re reflecting identifying your values for the first time can be tricky. It’s simply not something we think about. So here are a few to think about:

Balance
Impact
Transparency
Continuous improvement
Growth
Diversity

You’ll often be asked in an interview about your strengths and weaknesses. You may even be asked, what motivates you? But how often have you been asked about your values? Be mindful in finding an employer that has company values that are aligned with you and your goals.

2. Commit to lifelong learning.

As technology continues to progress at lightning speed, the skills required by businesses will continue to change over time. This is not a new phenomenon and is something we’re all well placed to get ready for.

Technology such as AI (automated intelligence) isn’t just about self-driving cars and has become more commonplace and created real value for organisations and people.

AI is already used for customers via chatbots and social media monitoring and is now becoming standard within teams.

If you’re a Microsoft user you’ve now got your own personal assistant, Cortina. Isn’t it handy when you open your email and a list of reminders, alerts on events, suggested scheduled breaks and focus time is waiting for you? All done because Cortina trawled through your emails and did the organising!

The increased use of such technology will not do away with the human workforce in-demand skills will change.

The World Development Report 2019 lists 3 types of skills that will continue to rise in importance as technology takes over more tasks.

Advance cognitive skills such as problem-solving,
Social behavioural skills such as teamwork and
Skills linked to adaptabilities such as reasoning and self-efficacy

“Building these skills requires strong human capital foundations and lifelong learning.” * WDR 2019.

Luckily, we’re living in the age of the internet. Access to learning is easier and more affordable than it has ever been. And if you’re looking at developing soft skills such as those recommended above by the WDR 2019, here are a few places you could start. These courses can be done flexibly around your schedule, which is a huge bonus.

The Open University offers several FREE business soft skills training. Topics include working with a diverse team and developing career resilience.

edEX offers courses from various established universities. This Critical Thinking and Problem Solving course is delivered by the Rochester Institute of Technology. You can complete this short course for free, and you have the option of getting it certified for an additional cost.

There are so many mediums of learning, you should never underestimate the power of a good book.

If you want to go a bit deeper in self-efficacy, Mindset by Carol Dweck explores growth mindset.

3. Curate your personal brand

Personal branding is not just for business owners or online influencers. Your personal brand is how others see you; in a time when we have never been more visible online, it’s your reputation. The tricky thing is that in today’s world you now have to manage your online personal brand as much as your offline brand.

Potential employers/clients won’t just be looking at your Linkedin profile summary. They’ll be scrolling, and looking to see what you really have to say. Think about the areas you identified in your career plan as your long-term goal.

Maybe it was to run your own Digital Marketing firm. Take this and make it your main talking point on Linkedin. Be about all things Digital Marketing, and the more specific to your interests are, the better. Let every post tell a story of your journey to this goal, and be consistent. You might be a Digital Marketing Executive now, but your presence online might resonate with someone in the field.

Wouldn’t it be great if a new role for a Marketing Manager became available and you were headhunted based on how you presented yourself online!

4. Be adaptable!

A single fixed career is no longer the norm. But don’t just fall into different industries because you’re pushed. Be purposeful and explore.

It’s not easy, but it really is a great showcase of how transferable your skills can be. Volunteering, interning or working part-time. Doing something different alongside your day job can give you a release of new energy!

There isn’t one route, but for me, I think personal development is extremely important. You can’t wait for your employer’s training plans to align with yours. This should be timed and defined by you.

5. Mentoring

I am a huge advocate for mentoring, and I’ve explored it further in this blog.

Don’t think that mentors are only needed at the beginning of your career. Oprah continued to be mentored by Maya Angelo well into her career.” ‘She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life, Mentors are important, and I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship.’

Start with getting yourself a solid mentor. Compatibility is as important as being clear on what you need from the person.

Working with a good mentor will help you to benefit from their area of expertise. But if you have a good mentor and you’re paying attention, hopefully, you’ll become a mentor yourself.

Becoming a mentor is a great way to expand your leadership skills, particularly around listening and communicating.

We’ve just reviewed 5 key areas of focus for your professional development. The one thing that ties them all together is you!

No matter what stage you are at in your career, the things you’re doing today will determine where you are in the future. If your capacity allows you to focus on only one of these things right now, I’d encourage you to get on it!