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5 min read
May 2, 2022
The Anatomy of Great Professional Growth
Many people may not be aware, but professional growth is crucial to one’s career. Professional development usually consists of setting short and long-term goals, gaining valuable work knowledge and skills, and networking or meeting other professionals in your industry.
If you want to make the most out of your career and increase your chances for promotions and salary increases, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest news and information about your field. The more you learn, the better equipped you’ll be in making decisions that can help further your career.
If you’re interested in growing professionally but are unsure where to begin, it might be helpful to remember the five key components that successful professionals have in common.
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Prioritizing will help narrow down objectives, so you can effectively meet your goals.
Self-Awareness
Significant professional growth is impossible if you don’t know what you’re good at, talents, skills, and values. Professional development begins with self-awareness. If you want to grow professionally, it’s necessary to be aware of your interests, values, abilities, passions, strengths, and weaknesses.
Being in tune with your characteristics will help guide you in making career decisions along the way so that opportunities are seized upon when presented.
Professional Development
Another component of great professional growth is staying up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in your industry.
Professional development can take many forms, including:
- Attending classes or seminars for continuing education credits so you can maintain licenses and certifications
- Joining a professional association where networking opportunities exist
- Reading relevant books or publications from experts in your field of choice
- Subscribing to online newsletters with the most current industry news
Job Skills
Making the most of your career also entails continually gaining new skills and talents. As technology advances, it can become more and more challenging to keep up with developing systems. As a result, it might be necessary to take online courses on marketable job skills, which you can list as part of your resume or portfolio.
Maintaining Professional Relationships
Strong professional growth also includes networking or meeting other professionals in your industry. Through networking, you’ll be able to build relationships with experts who can further inform your career decisions and provide sound advice. Your network of professionals will prove invaluable as you continue to grow professionally.
Networking is beneficial to your career regardless of your position or industry, especially if you’re new to the workforce, are looking for a promotion, or are trying to switch careers. When people meet you and learn about your accomplishments, they’re more likely to remember you later on when opportunities arise.
If you want to be successful in making connections to further your career goals, join relevant groups on LinkedIn, attend local conferences with organizations like SCORE, or play intramural sports so you’ll have an opportunity to meet people outside of work.
Networking/Meeting Other Professionals
Great professional growth should also include gaining advice from seasoned professionals who can guide you along the way. Your network of professionals should consist of individuals who are willing to share valuable information with you. Having a great network will help keep your career on track while providing opportunities for guidance and furthering your knowledge in the industry.
If you’re looking to grow professionally, it’s essential to reflect on what areas need improvement or expansion. If there are any gaps, consider how they might be filled by attending relevant workshops, seminars, conferences, continuing education courses, books/publications, newsletters, or networking events. Once gaps have been identified, work towards closing them by taking action based on the knowledge you’ve gained.
Professional Growth Goals
An essential part of the anatomy of great professional growth is developing professional growth goals. Setting goals allows you to quantify your progress by marking benchmarks along the way. If you’re interested in growing professionally, it’s essential to set realistic goals that will help guide you along the way.
Regardless of what professional growth goals you set, they should be specific and measurable to be tracked throughout the process while providing clear markers on progress. It’s essential to set goals that are challenging but achievable.
How to Set Professional Growth Goals
If you’re wondering how to set professional growth goals, here are some steps for doing so:
Identify What You Want
The first step when trying to set professional growth goals is identifying what you want. To try and reach a specific goal, you should know precisely where it is that you’re trying to go. You’ll also need to understand why this particular goal is critical for you.
Evaluate Priorities
Next, think about the importance of each objective in terms of what matters most in reaching your overall goal. For example, if one of your professional goals is broadening your skillset, think about which talents are a top priority for meeting the overarching objective. Prioritizing will help narrow down objectives, so you can effectively meet your goals.
Create a Plan for Reaching Those Goals
Having a plan in place is key to making sure you’ll be able to reach your professional goals. First, ask yourself how you plan on turning professional objectives into concrete achievements.
For example, if you want to grow professionally and one of your goals is to develop better public speaking skills, think about what steps need to take to meet this objective. Some ways might include joining Toastmasters or attending relevant workshops/seminars.
Take Action Now
Once you’ve set your professional growth goals and come up with a plan to accomplish them, it’s time to take action. Of course, the worst thing you can do is nothing—make sure you’re moving along towards your goal at all times.
Keep Track of Progress
Lastly, it’s vital to keep track of your progress. Some great ways to do so include tracking your work in a daily planner or journal, sharing accomplishments with a mentor or coach, and asking for feedback from others along the way.
Conclusion
Professional growth is the key to a successful career. If you want to be a productive and valuable member of your team, it’s essential to set goals that will help guide you along the way as you grow as an employee. Setting specific and realistic professional growth goals with concrete plans for reaching those objectives will help with your anatomy of great professional growth and keep you focused on what it takes to achieve success.
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