Professional Growth- Worthy Tips and Advice for Strengthening Professional Capability
As a first order of business, each person will need to sit back, breathe deeply, and honestly evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. Deciding what you wish or need to improve – whether it’s leading, speaking, writing, research, knowledge, etc. – is a highly personal choice. Only you know yourself best. These are worthy tips and advice for strengthening professional growth.
Self-improvement is a journey not a destination.
Self-evaluation
True professionals commit themselves to constant and never-ending improvement over years. At the same time, they don’t obsess solely on their profession to the exclusion of life’s other priorities.
One has to look inward for strength at time and need to be prepared in order to do so. Taking time to self-evaluate is truly powerful, and being honest and self-reflexive about your own character and set of morals is necessary.
The most capable people I’ve seen are usually the ones with an unquenchable curiosity about life, a wide set of interests or pursuits, and a willingness to try new things. One’s own self-worth and high confidence stems from investing in family, friends, and their own health.
Well-rounded expertise
Though seemingly ironic, one of the best ways to be a superlative professional is to actively learn about things other than your profession. Don’t get me wrong, knowing your work or profession is truly important and striving to understand it to an expert level is a must, but being a well-rounded person is also necessary.
As an example, there is a reason they say the most effective analysts tend to come from a liberal arts background…it’s because they have a broader intellectual foundation that allows them to contemplate an array of factors and see connections that can explain complex adversary activities. Nothing goes to waste in studying some degree of anthropology, science, economics, culture, religion, psychology, and more.
Read to exceed
Reading a diverse spectrum of biographies can also unveil how accomplished people from different walks of life have dealt with sophisticated challenges, ones that have oblique but sometimes useful parallels to ours. Even reading fiction can stimulate neurons and strengthen imaginative powers. According to Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) an American children’s author and cartoonist, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, you more places you will go.” Or from Kofi Annan, the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
Before the modern electronics era, reading was a daily activity for most individuals. It was replaced by the radio, then television as the most important media. However, something was lost in the process.
The regular mental stimulation of your brain is imperative. A prime benefit of reading books is slowing down mental disorders like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Reading stimulates the brain and keeping it active enabling it to retain its power and capacity. Additionally, it expands your vocabulary, improves your memory, improves focus and concentration and of course enhances one’s knowledge.
Medici Effect
Heavy-duty development exists in creating your own personal “Medici Effect,” where your brain becomes the crossroads of ideas fed by sheer variety. The Renaissance largely came about in Italy because in the 14th century the Medici family brought together painters, architects, sculptors, poets, scientists, and philosophers, who enlightened one another to see things in new ways.
The intersection of disciplines generated a burst of innovation and phenomenal advances. Joining a professional associations is one way of gaining this level of insight. There are many depending upon your given industry such as local Chambers of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, the National Restaurant Association, the National Retail Federation, and the National Manufacturers Association. These bring together like-minded people who are connected by industry, profession or geographical area, but joining one outside of your own industry, allows you to see different aspects, experiences and professional cultures.
In Conclusion
As it turns out, there is no single method, path, or formula for professional growth. But you will always be well-served by casting your knowledge net widely and hauling in a mixed catch of insights.
BL, take charge of your own growth, because nobody else can do this for you. A lifelong passion for self-improvement can take you to incredible heights.
