10 Tips for Self Development in Your Career

In order to be successful you must realize the importance of life-long learning and continual improvement. You also need to have the mindset that it’s a never-ending journey of growth. Over time you change, the demands of the industry change, and the people you work with change (even if you are an entrepreneur). We all can think back to a time when we’ve learned a new skill or mastered a new talent. We remember that feeling of pride and achievement. Now of course, in our journey of learning, there may be some bumps and bruises along the way, but it is all part of growing to be the best you possible. Below are 10 tips and techniques for developing yourself in your career that will cost little to no money!

1. Always be yourself! Watch, listen, and learn from others – but maintain your own identity. I wrote a book review on Carla Harris’ book, Expect to Win, which had one of the most inspiring quote’s, “The day your company hired you, someone else did not get the job because you were the best candidate. They hired you because you had the best combination of skills, personality, and potential and a unique blend of values and abilities”.  Realize that the authentic You deserves to be on display at all times – never allow others to intimidate you or cause you to shrink your personality.
2. Enthusiastically accept new assignments – even if you feel challenged. Your positive attitude will fuel your ability to be successful. Capitalize on your confidence – when you start to feel insecure, think of your greatest successes and use the energy from that feeling to help you stand taller and speak more confidently.
3. Create balance between work and home by relying on your organizational skills. Keep a calendar and block out times needed to accomplish the most important work and home responsibilities. Don’t get sidetrack.
4. Develop a mentoring relationship with someone you respect and trust – must be someone you can learn from as well. Meet with them on a regular basis to discuss your progress toward your goals. If you need to find a mentor, you’ll want to make sure your networking skills are sharpened!
5. Always ask your leaders and managers what is the one thing that you should be working on to improve your skills, also ask for opportunities to demonstrate your growth in that area. Also, review your past performance appraisals and think and compare them with each other. Take note of any patterns related to you skills.
6. Keep your emotions in check. Make a list of your emotional strengths (e.g., the ability to think before reacting) and weaknesses (e.g. failing to consider the feelings of others). Maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.
7. Establish weekly, monthly, and ongoing reading goals related to your self-development. Consider, books, magazines, newspapers, manuals, and subscribe to blogs.
8. Join internal and external groups that can help you grow. Consider trade organizations, community service organizations, and board memberships.
9. Share your knowledge. If you learn something new that can help your teammates, share it. Provide how-to bullets, do a short presentation, or just share the info one-on-one. The more you teach, the more you grow.
10. Always have a Plan B. If your goal is to have a position that is limited in availability (e.g., a management position), have a secondary goal that will be good for you and the organization.

Which of these do you currently need to adopt?