Professional development planning

Where are you at in your career now, and where would you like to be? Many people want to develop their careers, but don’t know how. Broadly speaking, a professional development plan gets you from where you are to where you want to be. With a strategy in place, you’re able to build the fulfilling career you deserve.

Professional development is affected by a few key factors, but ultimately it comes down to your own determination to improve your skills and psychology as they relate to your job. The beauty of professional development planning is that you’re empowered to create something that truly resonates with you.

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What is professional development planning?

If you’re unhappy in your career, you already know that professional and personal contentment are closely related. If you’re not content at work, it’s virtually impossible to be happy at home and vice versa. If you don’t improve both, you feel stuck in a downward cycle of negativity. There are plenty of ways to improve professional development, but it all starts with a personal breakthrough regarding what’s important to you on and off the job. What is your purpose in life? What will get you out of bed each day with excitement? Once you know your purpose, your professional development plan helps you fulfill it.

Why do I need a professional development plan?

creating an exit strategy

If you are a business owner or a manager charged with running a business, professional development planning is a pivotal part of running the business successfully. After all, operating a business is about far more than crunching numbers or learning to strategize around profits and losses. Given the stress of running a company, coupled with inevitable economic fluctuations and the certainty of unforeseen setbacks, it is crucial that those responsible for making business decisions commit to constant and never-ending improvement when it comes to their personal growth.

Professional development plans aren’t just for entrepreneurs and business owners. Anyone can use them to cultivate well-rounded business skills that take your career to the next level. Just a few professional development plan examples for individuals including making more sales, becoming a better leader and mastering time management. You deserve to live an extraordinary life, and professional development planning can help you build a career that brings you joy and fulfillment.

7 ways to improve professional development

Take charge of your career or your business with these top professional development tips.

1. Set smart professional development goals

Having a clear idea of where you are and where you want to go in your career is essential. If we don’t ask ourselves the right questions, how can we ever find the right answers? And without the right answers, we can never honestly assess our assets, challenges and roadblocks, all of which are critical pieces of information in moving our careers forward.  

The key to any professional development plan is setting goals you can feasibly accomplish. To set yourself up for success growing your career, set SMART goals – outcomes that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and set in a time frame. You’ve heard the age-old question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Take this question one step further and ask yourself: Where do you see yourself in one year, five years and 10 years, and how old do you plan to be when it’s time to retire? What benchmarks will you use to measure success at the one-, five- and 10-year points? Are those benchmarks achievable and realistic? If not, tweak them so you’re not setting yourself up for failure.  

Once you have your long-term professional development plan in mind, think of what it will take to get there. How can you set achievable, incremental goals that will lead to success down the road? Establish some short- and long-term goals that ultimately help you reach your true professional purpose.

2. Take massive action – and track your progress

Having a clear idea of where you are and where you want to go in your career is essential. If we don’t ask ourselves the right questions, how can we ever find the right answers? And without the right answers, we can never honestly assess our assets, challenges and roadblocks, all of which are critical pieces of information in moving our careers forward. 

The key to implementing the professional development definition you crafted is setting goals you can feasibly accomplish. To set yourself up for success growing your career, set SMART goals – outcomes that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and set in a time frame. You’ve heard the age-old question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”.

how to grow professional development

To create professional development goals that will elevate your career, take this question one step further and ask yourself: Where do you see yourself in one year, five years and 10 years, and how old do you plan to be when it’s time to retire? What benchmarks will you use to measure success at the one, five and 10-year points? Are those benchmarks achievable and realistic? If not, tweak them so you’re not setting yourself up for failure. 

Once you have your long-term plan in mind, think of what it will take to get there. How can you set achievable, incremental goals that will lead to success down the road? Establish some short- and long-term goals that ultimately help you reach your true professional purpose.

3. Find a mentor

Do you want to take big leaps in your career? Sometimes the best way to grow is to find a mentor. Turn to someone whose career you admire who can give you objective advice. Don’t know anyone who would be a great mentor in real life? You can still research others whose success you can replicate. As Tony often says, “Success leaves clues.” To make an effective, meaningful professional development plan, study the career path of those who have already achieved massive success and mimic their actions.

The Institute of Physics reports that, in addition to cultivating new skills and an understanding of one’s career trajectory, engaging a mentor also provides a sense of stability, constructive feedback and an unbiased perspective on the mentee’s goals, strengths and challenges. Mentorship is a safe space for exploring one’s weaknesses and practicing new skills without fear of reproach.

Don’t have access to a mentor? Coaching can be a great option, especially when it’s virtual and not location-based, so you get all the benefits no matter where you live. Programs like Tony’s Mastering Influence course can also help you unlock secrets to human psychology, sales and business, just as a mentor would.

4. Search for professional development opportunities

professional development advice

Professional development plan examples aren’t one-size-fits-all, and growth isn’t a one-time thing. If you’re not growing, you’re dying, so don’t let any opportunities pass you by, even if they don’t immediately appear to fit in your plan. Your employer may support added enrichment benefits like reimbursing employees for different classes or professional development training programs. Maybe you want to go back to school to receive your MBA, or perhaps you want to go through an immersive leadership training so more opportunities will be open for you in the future. Whether it’s finding ways to volunteer or taking nighttime courses, make sure you’re not missing out on any opportunities.

Events, including virtual events, are another excellent resource, and some employers will reimburse you for these beneficial programs as well. There are many valuable professional development events out there – the trick is finding the one that’s right for your needs. Choosing an immersive program that helps you shape your career trajectory and presents you with real-life situations is an effective way to sharpen your skill set. 

That’s precisely what draws people to Business Mastery. This one-of-a-kind, five-day experience guides participants in creating a customized professional development plan, leading to exponential growth and learning, clarity on future goals and maximal business outcomes.

5. Surround yourself with empowering people

When you’re building your career, the people around you have a make-or-break influence on your outlook. If you’re surrounded by negative, critical people, their perspective will taint yours, making your challenges more difficult and your successes harder to come by. Don’t fall into this trap. 

As a part of your professional development plan, commit to surrounding yourself with success. Find a company that empowers you, with employees as dedicated as you are. Join a mastermind group or get a business coach. If you’re a leader, hire superstars with great attitudes. Build great teams that accomplish great things. You are who you spend time with, and you’re in complete control of that. 

Events also allow you to surround yourself with success. At Business Mastery, it isn’t just the skills and strategies that empower you – it’s the incredible energy of a group of people who are all there for the same reason: exponential growth. With the support of people who believe in you, reaching your professional development goals is infinitely more feasible.  

6. Align your career with your nature

True professional development is not synonymous with fitting yourself into a box. An authentic professional development plan aligns with your personality, interests, skills and goals for the future. So like much of life, planning your career trajectory starts with getting to know yourself.

What is your true nature? What do you really want in life, and what’s preventing you from having it? What do you consider the pinnacle of professional success? What are your financial goals and how does your career path align with them? Understanding your business identity is an incredible way to start on your journey to greater success.

Professional Development Strategies

Consider taking a career personality test to find your professional niche, whether you are a natural artist, a leader or an entrepreneur. As you work out your professional development goals, make a separate list of personal growth goals. Taking a holistic approach allows you to leverage all your assets, personal and professional, to make your dreams a reality.

7. Help others develop their skills

As ironic as it may sound when you yourself are a work in progress, helping others develop their career is one of the most powerful tools for developing your own. Mentoring others to build your own skill set since it forces you to be creative. 

As you help your mentees with their own professional development planning, you hone your ability to think outside the box. You develop collaboration skills that are critical to success in any career. You might even discover a career path you didn’t know existed, opening up new opportunities for greater professional fulfillment. 

Remember, you don’t have to be in the C-suite to be a leader in your workplace – but if you are, you’re in an even better position to give back. Leadership is about inspiring others to do great things, and anyone can master it. Get started with Creating Lasting Change, a professional development tool that will teach you how to transform the thoughts, feelings and actions of others. 

With an effective professional development plan and the right tools, a rewarding career is within your reach. It’s all about determining what you really want, then setting actionable, measurable goals to get there. You’ll not only build a career you love, you’ll fulfill your need for growth – and build a more fulfilling life.

Time to leverage powerful professional development tools?

Success isn’t a secret – there is a formula anyone can follow. Unlock the tools, strategies and knowledge you need from the master himself, Tony Robbins.