How do you keep up to date with your professional development? Increasingly, in your current job or position you will be required to keep abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge. It is therefore imperative that you seek to develop yourself professionally. It is challenging to devote both the time and energy required for professional development amidst competing and often arduous job related activities. Yet continuous professional development increases your value both to your organization and also to future employers. If you do not stay up to date with changes in your profession, job or industry you miss on opportunities to make greater contribution to your team or organization and you may become irrelevant and noncompetitive.

In order to keep abreast of professional development you will have to acquire fundamental knowledge of your discipline or profession. This calls for understanding and applying fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position. To be effective the employee will not only be required to possess basic knowledge of the discipline but will also be expected to apply this knowledge and principles consistently in work tasks. The employee must therefore strive to keep job knowledge updated through self directed study and other means of learning.  So how much time do you spend doing this? If you’re like many people, you’re keen to learn, but you struggle to find the time. So, how can you make this time, develop your knowledge, and increase your value, both to your organization and to future employers?

There’s no doubt that it’s important to make your own professional development a priority. You will have to develop strategies to keep abreast of your professional development that will enable you to achieve this personal objective amidst the competing work-related priorities.

To  be  effective  the  employee will  not  only  be  required  to possess  basic  knowledge  of the  discipline  but  will  also  be expected  to  apply  this knowledge  and  principles consistently in work tasks. 

One strategy is to make your work tasks and processes an opportunity for enhancing your job related knowledge and expertise. Fairly regular activities like work-related or technical meetings offer excellent entry points to exploring new knowledge and insights around topical items as they are presented on the meeting agenda. A technical meeting can use group learning techniques that help members to achieve a consistent understanding of important concepts and ideas. One such technique is called “concept attainment”. The concept attainment technique helps team members gain a deeper understanding of important concepts as they are used in meetings or group activities. By using examples and exploring the attributes of the concepts as they are used in the meeting, the team can arrive at a team-owned definition that enables the concepts to be applied consistently. The Chairman or team leader plays an important role in using this technique as a professional development tool. The Chairman must for example bring to the meeting well thought through written definitions of the concepts or approaches and guide the meeting through a productive discussion. Your role as a team member is to prepare for the meeting including performing a ‘concept check” using content published in manuals, corporate communications or other literature

A related strategy is participation in high level organizational meetings. An employee gains significant professional growth when he or she is accorded an opportunity to participate in high level corporate meetings or to represent the organization in such meetings. The employee will be exposed to the organization’s strategic interests and to the different ways these are presented and/or defended. Most importantly the employee gets the opportunity to serve as a technical resource and reference point for the group at which he or she is representing the organization. Representation of your organization is also an excellent way to hone your knowledge and expertise in the subjects under discussion and to master and apply the relevant organizational policies as they relate to the subject areas under discussion. Such representation and/or participation put especially new team members into the daily operations of the organization right from the start. They quickly get a feel for the corporate culture and the pace of work; and they can rapidly get to know new partners and key stakeholders.

Some organizations organize formal learning sessions as part of on-the job training. Structured on the job training takes place in the work environment. For example, trainers may deliver presentations and lectures in designated learning sessions or may recommend reading materials; or may provide instructive questionnaires to help the trainee to learn new skills. In such structured on-the-job training it is helpful when the employee actively participates by preparing and delivering the learning sessions Another useful professional development approach is participation and engagement in the work and tasks of Knowledge Management bodies or committees. Knowledge management is the practice of organizing, storing, and sharing vital information, so that everyone can benefit from its use. An employee can participate in any or all the stages of knowledge management in his or her organization including generation, analysis, dissemination and use of knowledge.  The major benefit of knowledge management is that information is easily shared between staff members. Knowledge management gives staff members the knowledge they need to do their jobs better as well as develop technically and professionally.

 Some people find it easier to learn in collaboration with others. This can be achieved by joining a community that makes learning a priority. Examples of such groups include reading clubs and/or communities of practice. The group members motivate and can also hold you accountable for your learning goals. Whichever position you hold in your career, you will be required to continuously seek new and improved methods and systems for professional development. This entails acquiring expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures. In addition you will be required to apply the acquired knowledge to support the organization’s objectives and goals. It’s therefore important to make time for professional development.

For more information about professional development in your  career  Visit  our  Email  coaching  program  at  http://www.expressexpertise.com/lesson/getting- started/ and make a coaching request EE