Do you have a career development plan?
In the past, have you waited for your employer to provide training or educational opportunities? Or, did you proactively look for ways to develop yourself? Most executives and professionals wait for their company to provide training and development opportunities for them.
We’ve seen hundreds of clients have A LOT of issues with that over the years. On the podcast last week, we discussed having a career plan. As step two, we encourage all of our clients to design a career development plan, based on their goals.
In this episode, you will learn more about the importance of career development. Our host and CEO Porschia, shares her insight on one of the biggest mistakes professionals and executives make. Listen in as Porschia explains how career development isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a strategic path to achieving your professional dreams!
What you’ll learn:
- Why having your own career development plan is essential, even if your company provides training opportunities
- Who are the best people to support you on your career development journey
- 4 steps to identifying the skills that should be in your career development plan
- Sample skills that we recommend executives and professionals include in their career development plans
As a thank you for listening to this episode of the Career 101 Podcast, we are sharing our FREE master class – Career 911: Solving the Top 5 Challenges Executives and Professionals Have! It’s a training based on solving the common problems our clients have experienced to reach their goals. You can get access to the master class here!
Episode Transcript
Porschia: [00:00:00] Today, we are talking about Career Development 101, Designing Your Career Development Plan. In our last episode, we discussed career planning and how to develop a career plan. In short, career planning is about where you want to go and career development is about how you’re going to get there. So this is a continuation or your next step after listening to our last episode.
One of the biggest mistakes I see from executives and professionals is that they don’t actively develop themselves in their career. There is this idea that everything is just going to fall into place and the perfect, and
there is this idea that everything is just going to fall into place and that the perfect time, it’s all going to work out. Obviously, [00:01:00] that is a risky assumption to make, and that’s because your career involves so many different moving parts, and a lot of those moving parts are beyond your control. Most people are not handed their first job, their first professional job out of college, or their next job after career change.
Other people within companies have to offer you a job. So, in essence, It is a competition, whether you consider yourself to be a competitive person or not having the abilities, skills and confidence to put your best foot forward is necessary to give yourself the best chance to land a job, work on a special project, or get a big client.
Career development is essential to helping you [00:02:00] move through your career plan and achieve your goals. Career development often involves working on your strengths and on aspects that you might consider to be weaknesses. And that leads me to this quote. The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled, for it is only in such moments propelled by our discomfort that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer outcomes.
Answers. And that quote is by M. Scott Peck and M. Scott Peck was an American psychiatrist and best selling author who wrote The Road Less Traveled. So let’s dig deeper [00:03:00] with a fundamental question. Why is career development important? Career development isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the strategic path to achieving your professional dreams.
It’s about proactively taking control of your career, ensuring that it aligns with your goals and aspirations. Here are five key reasons why career development is crucial. Number one, personal fulfillment. Developing your career provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as you achieve your goals.
Yes, most of us need money to live and pay our bills, and that’s part of why we work. But people are more satisfied in their careers when they have a sense of personal fulfillment and what they do. Number two, [00:04:00] competitive edge. We talked a little bit about competition already, but staying relevant in today’s fast paced business world is vital.
Career development ensures that you have the skills needed to thrive. Number three increased earning potential advancing in your career often comes with better compensation and benefits. The majority of our clients and people in our community want to progress financially in addition to other areas.
Number four, job security. As you enhance your skills and knowledge, you become an invaluable asset to your organization, making job security more likely. There’s a lot of talk about AI and new software technology that could potentially replace a lot of jobs. [00:05:00] Continuously developing in your career can help you work with new technology and also make your own plans around it.
Number five, an expanded network, engaging in career development activities can help you connect with mentors, coaches and sponsors, as well as other professionals in your field. The professional associations that you join or become familiar with can benefit you in various ways for years to come. So now that we’ve established why career development matters, let’s move on to the next crucial step.
Identifying your unique skills. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to career development. Your path should be as unique as your aspirations and strengths. [00:06:00] Here are four steps to identifying the skills that should be in your career development plan.
Number one, self assessment. Reflecting on your current skills, strengths, and weaknesses. What do you excel at? Where do you need improvement? It can be a great idea to use some tools for your self assessment. For example, we use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Assessment or MBTI with a lot of our clients to help them determine their personality preferences and see which careers can be a good match for them.
The MBTI also shows challenges that people of their personality type
There are many other personality types and assessments that you can take.
Number two is goal setting. Define your short term and long [00:07:00] term goals. What position do you aspire to reach? What skills are required to get there? We talked a bit about this in our last episode on career planning. Number three, industry research. Stay updated on industry trends and future demands.
Different industries may require different skills.
[00:08:00] Number four, feedback. Seek feedback from trusted peers, mentors, or supervisors. They can provide valuable insights into the skill sets you need to develop. You want to make sure that you are prioritizing the feedback that you get from people in your career support system. This is different than the feedback that you’re getting from your friends.
Family members and coworkers for more information about your career support system, please check out episode 19 on support system 101, how to build a support system for your career. That is one of the most important episodes of this entire podcast.
As I mentioned earlier, the skills you need will vary depending on your own career goals, the industry that you’re in, and your job [00:09:00] responsibilities. However, I want to share five sample skills that are often valuable to executives and professionals across the board. The first is leadership. Regardless of your position, leadership skills are imperative.
This includes aspects of communication, podcast. Thank you for listening. Have a great day.
You can check out Episode 46 on Leadership Development 101, Designing Your Leadership Development Plan, for more details. The second is Adaptability. In today’s rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt and learn quickly is invaluable. The third is Technical Proficiency. Stay updated on the latest tools and technologies relevant to your field.[00:10:00]
The fourth is problem solving. Strong problem solving skills can set you apart in any industry. And the fifth is networking. Building relationships and expanding your network can open doors to new opportunities. I know that the idea of networking can be stressful or uncomfortable for a lot of people. As usual, we’ve got you covered here too.
You can check out episode 10 on networking 101, how to network and the top networking questions to ask along with episode 52 on networking 102, networking for career success.
As I mentioned earlier, your goals that you focused on when planning will dictate the skills you should focus on. For instance, if your goal is to become a chief marketing officer, you’ll need to develop [00:11:00] skills in strategic marketing, data analytics, and team leadership. On the other hand, if you’re looking to transition from finance to a tech role, you’ll need to gain proficiency in coding, project management.
And adaptability. Your career development journey should not be a solitary one. Coaches, mentors, and sponsors can be invaluable in your pursuit of success. First, we’ll talk about coaches. Professional coaches provide guidance and support, helping you develop specific skills or overcome challenges. They can offer a structured approach to improvement.
As many of you know, we offer career and business coaching. Some people enjoy coaching in a group format and [00:12:00] others prefer one on one coaching. We offer both in our Brave Bird Career Alliance program that we call BCA for short. Second, we’ll discuss mentors. Mentors share their experience and wisdom, offering advice and helping you navigate your career path.
A mentor can be a trusted sounding board for your ideas and aspirations. We discussed how to find a mentor back in episode four, and we talked about peer mentoring in episode 34. So check both of those out if you haven’t already. And third, we’re going to talk about sponsors. Sponsors are influential individuals who advocate for your career advancement within your organization.
They can provide opportunities and visibility.
[00:13:00] Crafting a career development plan is a critical step in your professional journey. It ensures that you stay on track, acquire the necessary skills, and have the support of coaches, mentors, and sponsors. Because no one is successful all by themselves. Remember, your career path is unique, and your development plan should reflect your individual goals and circumstances.
Regularly review and adapt your plan as your career evolves. Now, I want to take a moment and tell you about a live masterclass we have coming up soon. If this topic of career development is really, really speaking to you, then please be sure to click on the link in the show notes for this episode on our [00:14:00] website.
I rarely do live events. But I think this one is important to help you during this masterclass, you’ll learn why understanding your own personality is an essential part of planning and managing your career, how having your own customized career plan can help you navigate through your career. The five most common problems executives and professionals have in their careers.
And how to overcome them and what might be going on in the background that stops you from taking action. So go and sign up and I look forward to seeing you then. [00:15:00]
