Life Long Learning aka Professional Development

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of up and coming women leaders.  These are women who are interested in expanding their leadership skills.  They come from every industry and every level of expertise.  The topic I shared with them was continuing professional development after the leadership course.

The concept of professional development is sometimes considered frivolous or extraneous to the work being done. In some arenas such as education, law, and health care, professional development is required in order to maintain certification.  In any case, professional development should be the personal acquirement of information, trends, and strategies to improve performance personally and professionally.  Ways to continue to learn are through workshops, training, professional associations and memberships, and reading.  Another way is through online networks such as LinkedIn that allow you to join groups.  

The challenge I put to the women was to identify one professional development goal.  It could be to read a professional book a month or a week.  The goal could be for a year or three years.  The final question posed, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  Your professional development should lead you in this direction.  What goal have you written down today to help you acquire professional growth?

The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning you’re not old.  Rosalyn S. Yalow