AN ESSAY ON

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CAREER GROWTH

SHEHNAZ JIWANI
S1907D879251
INDUCTION MODULE USW-IND-101-14963
EVANGELIA PAPAMIKROULAEA
JANUARY 30, 2020

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 “The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing”, Moore, A (January 11,
2018)
Even though, still within the same areas of study there are those that believe that
animals’ traits are their natural instincts and that animals are born that way
implying that without learning and practicing it is in their nature to do what they do.
For instance, the ability for an eagle to fly is natural. Again the same applies to
human beings as there are arguments that suggest that people are born talented
differently, that is to say one is naturally talented in singing while the other in
painting another is talented in athletics. So those areas of talent come easy to
these people without emphasis on development need which clearly defers from my
argument below.
As one grows in career there should be continuous learning not only limited to
one’s career but a balanced approach to developing each aspect of one’s spiritual,
social, academic and professional life. Science has also proven as human beings
we learn best by practice and training which is also a basic need for any living
creature to perfect its way of survival. In the same instance of the eagle, the eagle
perfects its hunting skills over time from practicing with its parents and later on, on
its own. The same applies to lions and their cubs and how they get adapted to their
environment and learn to survive on their own. Likewise human beings learn to do
things and we get better at those things we do more frequent and perfect the skill
over time. Hence this is evident that personal development is important for ones
growth in whatever sphere of their life.
In addition, I strongly believe that as Anthony Moore put it, one stops growing the
day they stop learning. It’s clear that both the business and social environment in
which we live is constantly changing which implies that for one to remain relevant
and in touch with their surroundings they ought to enhance their knowledge
through continuous learning which is the essence of personal development.

Personal development does not necessarily contribute to career growth. Those

who assume that the characteristics of animals are their natural instincts and that
animals are born that way believe that it is in the animals’ essence to do what they
do without experience and practice. It is natural for an eagle to be able to fly and
once again, the same happens to human beings as there are claims that say that
people are born gifted differently, that is, one is naturally talented in music while

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 the other is talented in sports, in drawing another. Talented people have one thing
in common and that is that they make what they do look easy. Such people we
look at with admiration have worked for so long and so often that their skills seem
almost second nature. However, were they born with this ability, say, to sing or
play a sport gracefully? According to Hurst (2016), No, not naturally!, with
precision, effectiveness and most importantly, practice, they have learned the long
and hard way. Research shows that the critics are mistaken as seen in an article
by Morell (2015) in The National Wildlife Federation which reported that in recent
studies since 2006, animal behaviourists have found strong evidence of teaching in
four species other than humans..., teaching is one of the facets of personal
development. Hence, supporting the notion that personal development is
necessary for one’s career growth

Personal development contributes to one’s career growth. As Pantovic (2015)

suggests that developing oneself is a way of life and is unending in itself. As one
develops in career, lifelong learning should be restricted not only to one's work, but
also a balanced approach to the growth of each area of one's cultural, social,
intellectual and professional life. Science has also proved that we learn best
through practice and training as human beings, which is also a fundamental need
for any living creature to perfect their way of survival. In the same eagle instance,
the eagle perfects their hunting skills over time from practicing with their parents
and later on, on its own. The same goes for lions and their cubs and how they
adapt to their environment and learn to survive alone. Similarly, people learn to do
stuff and we get stronger at those things we do more frequent and perfect the skill
over time. Hence this is evident that personal development contributes to career
growth.

We constantly change the business and social world in which we work, which
means that we must improve our awareness through continued learning, which is
the nature of personal development, to remain relevant and in touch with our
community. The context that best explains the need to develop oneself in response
to his/her environment is seen in the concept of the VUCA world. VUCA as used
by the American military stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous
situations. “It was the response of the US Army War College to the collapse of the

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 USSR in the early 1990s. Suddenly, there was no longer the only enemy, resulting
in new ways of seeing and reacting”, (Glaser, 2018). So as leaders we ought to
apply the same technique through advocating for personal development and
lifelong learning.

The points presented above strongly emphasize the need for personal
development if one that is to say individually or as a business is to perfect their
trade, he or she has to continuously practice, learn and improve through their
development. Even with the sceptics’ arguments especially the scientific factor that
human beings are born naturally talented and animal traits are their natural
instincts, both views are trampled by research in the same area of as above which
found strong evidence of teaching in four species other than humans. This
ultimately affirms the notion that personal development contributes to career
growth.

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 References:

Glaser, W. (2018) ‘Leadership Skills & Strategies’, Vuca-World.Org, 11

January.2018 Available at: https://www.vuca-world.org/ (Accessed: 02 February
2020).

Hurst, K. (2016) ‘Does ‘Natural’ Talent Exist? A Practical Guide to Self-

Improvement’, The Law of Attraction.com, 26 January. Available at:
https://www.thelawofattraction.com/are-we-born-with-talent/ (Accessed: 01
February 2020).

Moore, A. (2018) ‘The Day You Stop Learning is the Day You Stop Growing’,
Mission.Org, 11 January. Available at: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-day-
you-stop-learning-is-the-day-you-stop-growing-90d794518875 (Accessed: 25
January 2020).

Morell, V. (2015) The National Wildlife Federation (2015) Animals. Available at:
https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2015/OctNov/Animals/Animal-
Teaching (Accessed: 02 February 2020)

Pantovic, N.N. (2015) Mindful Being: Mindful Being Towards Mindful Living
Course, 2nd Edn. Art of 4 Elements, 4

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