by Travis Jones, CEO at Career Development Partner
Dr. Marc D. Gilbert, my business professor in college use to tell me, “what you do today, is important, because it will impact tomorrow.” Personal and professional development pays dividends down the road of life, not only for you but even greater in what you can bring to others. A friend of mine told me that is what servant leadership is all about.
Investment takes time, energy, money and commitment to yourself and others.
In the workplace we have the opportunity daily to do our work efficiently and effectively. The goal is to eliminate time wasted on reworking or fixing problems that we were not sure how to do correctly the first time.
In order to be more efficient and effective we must make plans beyond the weeks ahead and carve out time to invest in ourselves. Create a budget that fits your wallet and plan to move forward. Take a day or two to work on advancing your skills to the next level. If you do not do it today, it may never happen. It is not up to your superiors to figure out a development plan for you. You are worth the investment and simply being satisfied with where you are right now is a backwards path to personal development.
I met with a client recently who invested in a Director of Employee Development. I commended him for his forward thinking. The results he shared with me were impressive. His employees are seizing the opportunities to learn and grow, and he is attracting great people and creating a learning culture. Every age group is embracing this wholeheartedly. Think about your millennials and how a director would impact their future employment and how good that would be for more companies to consider. Those that don’t want to invest in their development will move on and you will be left with a group of employees that are going to make a transformation in the workplace.
Want to get ahead in the world? Invest in new ways to do old things. Technology is rocketing ahead. Don’t miss the rapid transit that will pass you by before you can blink if you are not on board. Look for new approaches to problem solving and be contributors of solutions in the workplace.
Sustainability and longevity in the workplace belong to those who invest in themselves and contribute to the overall good of others. It begins by investing in yourself so that you are adept at bringing value to others.
You are worth the investment in yourself, and please don’t ever forget it.
What are your next steps in your development? Care to share?
Travis has been an entrepreneur and business owner in Tulsa for over 30 years. He is a certified Life Options Retirement Coach and is certified to facilitate and deliver the Manager As Coach Learning Series (MACLS) through CPI. He is also a certified Career Coach and DiSC Certified . He previously served on the board of Career Partners International (CPI) an equity partner in CPI, offering a global reach with over 350 offices
Travis Jones,
CEO at Career Development Partner
