PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMET

PPD 4303
  
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SHANTO-MARIAM UNIVERSITY OF
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Module Name:
Personal and Professional Development

Module Code:

PPD 4303

Assignment Topic:
Personal and Professional Development

Submitted To:
Dr. Masud Al Noor
Associate Professor & Director of MBA in Product & Fashion Merchandizing
Department of Apparel Manufacturing Management & Technology

Submitted By:
Student Name University ID
Kaushik Sen Sagor 162 051 027
Md. Mominur Rashid 162 051 043
Nargis Sultana Parvin 162 051 048
Kazi Tanzid Rubayet 182 057 003
Mahajabin Mannan 182 057 004
Sadia Tanha 182 057 008

Group - A
Semester - 12th
Batch - 27th
Department of Apparel Manufacturing Management & Technology

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Acknowledgement

At first, we like to thank almighty ALLAH that finally we have completed our
Assignment. We would also like to express our gratitude to all particularly to
honorable teacher Dr. Masud Al Noor, who has helped us all possible ways
prepare this Assignment. He is willingness to motivate us contributed
tremendously to our Assignment. Besides, we would like to thank the authority
of Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology for providing us a good
environment and facilities to complete this Assignment. Finally, an honorable
mention goes to our families & friends for their understanding & supports on us
in completing this Assignment. If here is any mistake in this Assignment, in
spite of mine utmost care, we would like to request all to forgive me.

Koushik
Koushik Sen Sagor ………………….

Md. Mominur Rashid ………………….

Parvin
Nargis Sultana Parvin ………………….
Rubayet
Kazi Tanzid Rubayet ………………….

Mahajabin
Mahajabin Mannan ………………….

Sadia
Sadia Tanha ` ………………….

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Date: 16th June, 2020

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Index

Serial Context Page No.

1 Abstract 05

2 Define Personal Development 06

3 Define Professional Development 06

4 Importance of Personal Development 07

5 Importance of Professional Development 10

Differences between Personal and Professional

6 11
Development

7 Principles of Professional Development 13

8 Way to improve Personal Development 14

9 Improve Personal Relationship 16

10 Way to Professional Development 17

Suitable Methods for Developing Personal &

11 23
Professional Development

12 Conclusion 24

13 References 25

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Abstract
Through this assignment, a conceptual analysis has been made on the Personal and
Professional Development based on the organisation where it deals with the learning and
development plan to develop the personal skills of the employees of the organisation.
Researcher has given emphasis on effectiveness of the personal skill development plan of the
leader. Moreover, it is clear that these theoretical experiences can help any person to be an
effective leader and boss of practical corporate world. People have believed, desire and wish
to do something which are connected with ideas. Personal development is the reflection of
individual’s talents and potentiality where professional development is the reflection of
learning, experiences and training. Developing both personal and professional development
becomes popular among business executives and workers. Now, employee’s capabilities are
being judged by their performance and professionalism. For personal development, personal
want and having the relevant determinant is important. On the other hands, professional
development needs some extra skills that are affiliated with expertise and competency.
Personal and professional values can be developed by arranging seminars, conferences,
delivering academic lectures etc and one can choose the learning style from various learning
styles. It is necessary to find a proper place for conducting sessions, appropriate learning style
and conducting analysis. Personal and professional development may vary but coreideology
is same. In our hypercompetitive world, development of personal and professional becomes
major tools for building strong believes and confidence to success for overcoming the
competitions.

Introduction
Personal and professional development is a continuous process which not only helps the
individual but also the organisation. It involves processes of self-discover and self-
examination wherein one analyses their own skills and potentials and plan improvements in
order to attain desired future goals and career achievements. This assignment aims at
identifying and evaluating personal skills and developing a personal and professional
development plan in order to minimise the gap between exiting skills and desired skills.

Key Words
 Personal Development
 Professional Development
 Develop

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 Increase confidence
 Talent
Define Personal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents
and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance quality of life and
contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. The concept is not limited to self-help
but includes formal and informal activities for developing others in roles such as teacher,
guide, counselor, manager, life coach or mentor. When personal development takes place in
the context of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and
assessment systems that support human development at the individual level in organizations.

Personal development involves discovering those talents, abilities and potential that lie within
us. It involves valorizing them by ongoing study and work activities, by making efforts to
improve and develop. It involves working with our mind, emotions and body. It implies
physical, mental and emotional health, setting goals, creating strategies for optimizing the
quality of our life.

Acquiring new skills and knowledge is the best guarantee for an uncertain future, and for
those who learn, grow, are adaptable and embrace change, success is not a possibility, but a
fact. Many people don’t accept their limits, they find justification and excuses or blame
others. Others are defensive and don’t tolerate any feedback. And others are simply reluctant
to do anything to solve their problems. Some of us want a quick solution because "we don’t
have time" for personal development or we just don’t know what to do. But personal
development is an ongoing process that helps us become aware of the way we live now, of
our dysfunctional or toxic cognitions, and helps us restructure our mind and emotions to have
a more fulfilling and a more beautiful life.

We all have a past, more or less difficult, we had a certain history in our family and we
internalized certain patterns from those around us. Many of our thoughts don’t belong to us,
but we let them control our life. Personal development helps us to identify and to give up on
everything that isn’t helpful anymore, to rewrite our beliefs and to add to our thinking new
perceptions.

Define Professional Development

Professional development refers to all training, certification and education that a worker
needs to succeed in his or her career. It's no secret that different jobs require different skills.

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Even if a worker currently has the necessary skills, he or she may need additional skills in the
future. Through professional development, workers can learn these skills to become better,
more efficient workers. While job training is an essential part of professional development,
this concept covers all forms of education and learning that's intended to help a worker
succeed. Other examples of professional development include college studies, online training
programs, industry certifications, coaching, mentoring and consultation. Some professions
actually require professional development in order to renew certification or licensure and
ensure employees are up to standard. However, you can typically pursue professional
development on your own through programs offered by educational institutions, professional
organizations, or even your own employer. Professional development refers to instructors
developing and improving their skills to better meet the needs of their students. Approaches
to professional development include reviewing case studies, consultation and coaching,
mentoring and technical assistance. Here, collaboration and evaluation take place to enable
educators to enhance students’ outcomes.

Importance of Personal Development

As life progresses, we are guaranteed to face a variety of circumstances, changing
environments, and new roles that require we to adapt to them. A personal development plan
will help us to handle the pressures that come with the continuous changes and challenges, so
that we are well-equipped to excel in all the areas in our life. Personal development is an
ongoing process of self-improvement either in our career, in our education, in our personal
life, or in all of these areas. It is about setting goals for yourself and putting plans in place to
reach those goals. The importance of personal development is huge. In below mention some
of core importance.

Increase Confidence
A strong personality always boosts your confidence. Knowing the right things or words to
speak always reflect your gesture. If you are full confidence and leading the situation, then it
will become easy for you. Confidence gives you a power to control your thoughts, and how to
speak fearless, also it leads to a hassle free conversation when you are going to a speech in any
event, and it’s become easy for you to engage the listeners. Personality development helps a
person to understand yourself better than before.

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Improve your communication skills

A very great importance given to the communication skills when we talk about the
personality. Having a good communication is always good for personal and professional life.
Listener becomes more receptive if you are using good communication skills. Verbal speech is
the crucial part, improving your speech increasing the strengthen of your message.

Bring excellence in one’s field

If you are working on improving your personality, then you will become best of from yourself.
You become the go-to person on any matter in your field by following strong personality
development. Personality development improves your chances of success because you have
the right mindset to achieve your goal. Improving and widening the knowledge base of a
person improves his / her personality.

Improve Your Current Skillsets

Personal development is an investment in yourself. You give your time and/or money to
improve at one thing or another. You might have a natural talent for something like art,
music, or business. Invest in PD and you get to take it to the next level. You get better at
what you’re already good at.

Identify Latent Talents

Sometimes, those new skills will tie in with talents you never knew you had. You might
discover an entrepreneurial mind that you never knew existed. You might pick up an
instrument for the first time and realize you’re a total maestro. Maybe you feel inspired to
help out in the community and find a philanthropic side to your character.

Develop Greater Self-Awareness All-Round

A big part of that is about inner clarity. Investing in self-development works wonders for
your self-awareness. You’re challenged to take a long hard look in the mirror. By figuring
out where you’re at now, you can discover how you want (and need) to improve. I think
self-awareness is crucial to a happy life. It’s empowering. You realize who you are, how you
walk through life, and what you need to be happy.

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Become More Resilient

I see resilience as a secret sauce to success. Without it, I don’t know how anybody could
weather the storms that inevitably come along the way. Lack resilience, and you turn and
run at the first sign of trouble. Maybe you save yourself the trouble of even potentially
failing by failing to try in the first place. Personal development builds you up. It re-enforces
your foundations and sets your eyes on the prize. You become ambitious and bold, which
gives you the mental fortitude needed to go 12 rounds with you and your future.

Get the Motivational Ball Rolling

Personal development can be the catalyst you need to get up and running. It flicks a switch,
strikes the match, and gives you a kick up the butt. Motivation’s a funny thing. It’s there one
moment and gone the next. It’s drive that stands the test of time. But there’s no denying the
power of motivation. Your entire being can turn on a dime and see you push toward
bettering yourself. And personal development can be the spark that makes it happen.

Become More Confident

Life is easy when you’re confident. You don’t question yourself, worry about your place in
the world, or concern yourself with things as immaterial as the opinions of others. You’re
relaxed, comfortable, and self-assured. And the world takes notice. People treat you
differently, look to you for answers, and reward you with their esteem. That, in turn,
increases your confidence even further. It’s no wonder that a big part of personal
development seems focused on giving people a confidence boost. Entire conferences and
courses run on the actual topic. But confidence is also a natural by-product of the general
process involved. You’re working to better yourself! You’re taking steps to see progress and
cultivate new skills. And, on top of that, you’re actually seeing improvements in different
areas of life. There’s nothing quite like progress to help you walk a little taller. Feel More
Satisfied When was the last time you felt satisfied with life? It’s sad to realize how few
people actively enjoy the lives they live. They’re caught in the rat race, going through the
motions, and feel unable to make a change. They might be bored, frustrated, bitter, or even
apathetic. Satisfaction comes when your needs are met. You’re satisfied when you’ve eaten
an incredible meal, been loved by the man/woman of your dreams, or been on vacation with

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your closest loved ones. Progress is as powerful a need as any other; personal development
unlocks the door to it and life satisfaction follows.
Feel Proud of Yourself
Pride gets a bad rep sometimes. But there’s nothing wrong with being proud of yourself.
You deserve to celebrate your achievements (so long as you’re humble enough to accept
your defeats). You could have felt stuck in a rut for as long as you can remember. Personal
development pushes you, arse over tit, out of it. You’re seeing progress, feeling more
confident, and enjoying boundless energy and motivation as a result. A sense of pride comes
with it.

Feel More Committed to a Task/Responsibility

Commitment to anything is difficult. It’s impossible to stay motivated forever. In the same
way, commitment ebbs and flows, just like the tide on a beach. Sooner or later, the tide
might go so far out that you can’t even see it! I think this is partly because you can’t help but
feel hopeful when you invest in your PD. Where you became demoralized and despondent
about some prior task/purpose, you look to the future with fresh eyes. You know that it’s
possible and experience a new wave of motivation to keep at it.

Importance of Professional Development

There’s no need to spell out the benefits of professional development to the operation! Of
course the goal of staff development is to learn and become a better employee, but many
other advantages are possible through participation in development opportunities. These
benefits often go unrecognized and can lead to more engaged learning. Here are seven
underlying benefits gained beyond building knowledge that you can point out to staff
undertaking professional development opportunities:

Confidence and credibility: The phrase, ‘knowledge is power’ rings true. The act of
learning provides new perspective and increased expertise in your field.

Efficiency: The goal of most staff development activities, if not all, is to teach how to do
something better. By mastering new skills, efficiencies are recognized.

Ability to influence and lead: By using the knowledge learned with the confidence and
credibility gained, the ability to influence and lead becomes less subjective and more about

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the facts and figures brought to the table. These opportunities provide a tool for more
meaningful contributions to the team. 

Network: Professional development opportunities conducted in group settings provide an

added benefit of building your network. They also provide an outlet for individuals to
brainstorm and seek feedback.

Keep current: It is easy to become complacent and simply maintain the status quo.
Employee development opportunities can shed light on new approaches and how to navigate
through them.

Achieve career goals: For many individuals, professional development is just a part of

moving up the career ladder. Whether necessary for advancement or not, encourage it as a
motivator for your team.

Become a better employee: Enlighten staff that development opportunities are about getting
more out of the work experience. Being the best they can be for the operation hopefully is
reciprocated in things like better compensation, flexibility, perks, advancement and more!

Difference Between Personal and Professional Development

There is a difference between personal development and professional development, and it’s
easy to get caught in the crossfire of the two when looking to further your skills. But there is
huge crossover between them as well.. So, what are the main differences?

Professional Development
Professional development involves developing yourself in your role to entirely understand the
job you do and how you can improve. It involves enhancing the necessary skills to carry out
your role as effectively as possible and is something that will continue throughout your
working life. With changes to our working lives happening every day, be it economical
change, amendments in legislation or even the advance of technology, it is important to
develop your skillset to remain effective in your career.

Effective professional development involves ensuring your knowledge and understanding of

your area of expertise for your career is always at the highest possible level. It is the
acquisition of skills and knowledge for career advancement, but it also includes an element of
personal development. Broadly speaking, it may include formal types of vocational education
or training that leads to a career related qualification. It can also include informal training and

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development programmes, which may be delivered on the job in order to develop and
enhance skills.

Some examples of professional development are:

 IT training
 Health and Safety
 Accountancy or budgeting
 Legal knowledge or expertise

These could be delivered in many different methods, such as classroom-based learning,

eLearning, coaching, consultation, mentoring and more.

Personal Development
When you think of personal development, think about what skills you need to accomplish the
results required, both in your role and for life in general. It is about improving your talents
and potential, both in and out of the workplace.

By having a thorough understanding of what you need to achieve and how to achieve it, you
can develop the necessary skills by way of a solution. You may have experienced something
like the following example: Imagine there are two people in your team or office, both of
whom are great at managing budgets. They are both accurate, detail-oriented and deliver the
results needed. However, one of them is a real people person. Their interpersonal and
communication skills are fantastic and, as a result of this, they have no problem getting the
information they require quickly from colleagues at any level. The other person does not have
this skill and often encounters conflict from colleagues, perhaps for many different reasons.

Which of these people do you think needs personal development training? As you can see
from the example, both can do their jobs. Both have the skills required on a professional level
to deliver results, however, with the added benefit of excellent relationship building skills one
of the employees will always be one step ahead. Establish exactly what skills you need to
succeed in your role. This may be influencing skills, you may need to manage teams, or
inspire individuals. It may be that you need to be able to manage upwards or have excellent
delegation skills. When you are able to identify these needs, you are able to work towards a
personal development plan.

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Some examples of personal development are:

 Leadership training
 Management training
 Time management
 Handling difficult situations and conflict managemen
 Communication skills

Principles of professional development

Professional development has taken on huge importance, and relevance, since the
introduction of Common Core. School districts are being asked to continuously improve
student performance by measuring and marking a student’s progress along the way. While
there is a high need for professional development many are not sure where to start. Recent
studies have highlighted that “effective” professional development needs to be presented,
supported, and personalized to be meaningful, embraced, and internalized. Research
conducted by the Centers for Public Education highlighted findings on these 5 key principles:

Guiding Principle #1 – More is Better

Long-term sustainable and intensive professional development is needed to affect not only
teacher knowledge and practice, but also foster change in student performance and
achievement. These are generally agreed upon outcomes of effective professional
development. The design of PLT’s training workshops, as well as our curriculum materials,
are proven to improve content knowledge, teacher practice, and behavior change.

Guiding Principle #2 – Clarify & Prioritize Outcomes

Clarity about desired learning outcomes is necessary to help define and design the
appropriate program model, features, and characteristics of effective professional
development. PLT consistently designs its training workshops and events to meet
specific learning outcomes and objectives for its program participants.

Guiding Principle #3 – Create Collaborative, Reflective Learning Communities

When communities of teachers from the same grade, subject, school, or organization can
interact and collaborate over time, professional development is more effective. As

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appropriate, PLT designs its training workshops and events to build learning communities
among its program participants.  

Guiding Principle #4 – Embrace Online Tools

Online tools and technology provide powerful professional development opportunities that
can be used to complement (but should not necessarily replace) face-to-face activities. PLT
integrates technology in authentic and meaningful ways through the design of our curriculum
materials. We also offer online courses to extend and enhance our in-person training
workshops and events. 

Guiding Principle #5 – Five Core Features

Professional development best practices frequently include these five core features: integrated
content & pedagogy; coherence with standards and policies; active learning opportunities;
mentoring/coaching/apprenticing; and individual learning. PLT integrates these features into
our training workshops and events, as appropriate for the program participants.

Guiding Principles “+” – Additional Supporting Ideas

Though not as strongly represented in the body of research, attending to the following
dimensions can help increase the effectiveness of professional development: standardization
versus flexibility; importance of the facilitator; pilot testing; evaluation; context; and caveats.
PLT addresses these dimensions as appropriate, given the desired learning outcomes and
objectives of our training workshops and events.

Way to Improve Personal Development

Personal development can contribute to your maturity, success and satisfaction. Many people build
personal development skills throughout their lives to better themselves and reach their goals. They
can do this through education, advice from a mentor, self-help and more. In this article, we will
describe some of the most important personal development skills.

here are 10 things you can do in your daily life to improve your personal development.

Read about what you want to improve

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Do you want to get better at a certain skill? Read about it. Be more meditative? Read books
that explain that in detail. Want to be more productive? Spontaneous? Outgoing? Confident?
All these topic areas are covered by books upon books that you can study--and by reading
about it, it'll always stay top of mind.

Find a mentor
A mentor can be anyone from a peer who knows something you don't, and you want to learn,
all the way up to someone vastly more experienced who is willing to take you under their
wing (in exchange for your working in some way for or with them). Mentorship is by far the
fastest path of learning.

Reflect at the end of each day

If you really want to take self-development seriously (and not just, you know, talk about it),
you need to be constantly aware of how you can improve. And the only way to know how to
improve is if you reflect and ask yourself where and how you still need some work.

Create a strong practice regimen

It's your habits that unfold the results, not the other way around. You can't live one life and
expect to one day have another. You have to put in place the daily habits that will allow the
things you want to change to change.

Find others to push you and train with

Self-development is not just a solo game. In fact, the best self-development is done with
others in some capacity. Spend time with people who are working on similar things as you,
and you'll find yourself growing with them at a faster rate than if you had tried to do it all
alone.

Create a reward/punishment system

This is necessary for people who need to break bad habits. Sometimes, it's a reward (or a
punishment) that makes the difference between immediate and rapid change, and ongoing
fleeting promises.

Stay honest with yourself

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No amount of talking about it will ever instigate true change. This is the hardest part for
people. It's far easier to buy a book on self-development, carry it around, and say, "I'm
working on being more present," while staying constantly on your phone to text your friends
about how you're trying to be more present. You have to really be honest about it with
yourself. You are your own judge.

Find role models you can look up to.

Again, self-development is not easy, so it's helpful to be able to look to others for inspiration,
motivation, or even just daily reminders of how you can continue moving forward on your
journey.

Measure your progress

One of my mentors taught me, "If you can't measure it, don't do it." Took me a long time to
understand what that meant. Regardless of how ethereal the thing that you want to work on is,
you have to find some way to measure your progress. It's the only way you'll really know if
you are moving in the right direction--and when/where to pivot as you go along.

Consistency is the key

Self-development doesn't happen overnight. It happens slowly and deliberately. Consistency

is what creates truly meaningful change--and this is what makes the process so difficult for
people. It's not that you pop and pill and you're done. You don't do it once and you're "fixed."
Self-development is a daily practice and lifestyle.

Improve Personal Relationships

Self-awareness. Confidence. Energy. Pride. Self-worth. You see a boost in them all as you
start investing in your personal development. These powerful positive attributes start
trickling down into each and every aspect of life. Like your relationships. You’ll be more
interesting to others and interested in them too. You’ll be more fun to be around. You’ll
have stories to tell, a sense of humour to show off, and a general zest for life that naturally
pulls people in.

Meet Inspiring People

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It’s inspiring to be around people who invest in their personal development. The courses and
conferences you attend are full of other individuals like you- who want to be better, do
better, and become more fulfilled in life. They want to improve, realize they don’t have all
the answers and go out of their way to do something about it. Being around people like that
is infectious. It rubs off on you too. You’ll find yourself carried away by their example;
you’ll see people further along the road to progress and want some of what they got. You
don’t have to be there in-person either. Can’t afford these courses/conferences/books, and so
on? Leverage the endless free content out there. Watch YouTube videos of the people I
mentioned in the intro. Immerse yourself in their lessons and their example. Learn from
them, digest their insights, and you literally change your neurochemistry- all from the
comfort of home. You cultivate a new and improved version of yourself at no cost
whatsoever.

Become a Leader and Role Model

Personal development isn’t just about you. Investing in yourself has a direct impact on other
people as well. Just as you might be inspired by others on a similar path, many will look to
you as a source of inspiration and encouragement. It’s hard not to be impressed by someone
who’s made the decision to do things differently and better themselves somehow. You see
what they’ve achieved and who they’ve become. In the process, you might find yourself
stepping into more leadership positions. You attain the skills and self-belief to climb the
ladders in your life and assume the new responsibility with aplomb.

Improves your Overall skills

Improving skills and expanding knowledge is a method of personality development. As a
result if you are working on tips to enhance personality, it will leads to enhance your skills.
Your overall skills communication skills, management skills, presentation skills, etc. are also
improved with the help of personality development. Personality development gives the power
to tackle with the difficult situation .It always encourage you to take the brighter side of the
life.

Way to Improve Professional Development

If you’re looking to put good, introspective work into your career progression, you’ll catapult
to success. We even mapped out 19 tips to help you get going. Those are mention in below.

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Organize Life (Make A List) 

Making lists brings me great peace and solitude. When there seem to be an endless amount of
tasks on my plate, I make a list and draw a little circle next to each task. To me, nothing is
better than making a list. Well, nothing besides checking those little circles.

To advance your career, I want you to make two lists:

 What I want to achieve in the next year

 What I have already have achieved

Make your “dream list” first. What do you want in the next year? Do you want to speak up
more in meetings? Do you want a raise? Do you want to learn a complete set of new skills?
Do you want to change jobs entirely? Once you’ve established what your goals are, make
your second list. The second list is composed of the things you’ve already achieved. While
constructing this list, think about how the things you have done can feed into what you want
to do—your goals. It might seem like you don’t have the appropriate experience or skill set to
achieve a new objective. For example, maybe you want to go into a managerial role this year,
but you feel like you have no experience. The thing is, you probably do have relevant
experience. Think of things you’ve done in the past. Did you manage your team at a service
industry job you had in college? Do you organize alumni events with your college friends?

Map Goals

Map out your goals at work. Maybe your goals are on a smaller scale, like a software upgrade
or the opportunity to organize better in the new year. Maybe your goals are quite lofty, like
spearheading an entirely new department in your startup environment or going after a big
promotion. Whatever your goals may be, make sure to prioritize them. Which ones are going
to be easily achieved? What is a reasonable timeline in which to achieve these goals? Are
there specific steps you need to take in order to reach this goal? Whether you need to build
your leadership skills, refresh your writing skills, or learn an entirely new piece of
software, The New School’s Open Campus most likely has a course or certification to help
you out.

Keep Track of Wins

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A great way to motivate yourself and recognize your true worth at work is by tracking your
wins. This is something that might not come naturally to you. As women, we tend to be more
reserved about our accomplishments. Instead of shouting our victories from the rooftops or
hanging from the rafters in joy, we give ourselves a sly, knowing smile and move on. Think
about keeping track of your wins on a monthly or weekly basis. Write them down. If the wins
are due to a team effort, then describe how you were a key element of the overall success.
After a while, these wins will communicate a specific skill set, whether it’s leadership,
project management, or technical skill.

Explore Losses

Just as you keep track of your wins, keep track of your losses. Maybe your “loss” is a simple
mistake you made. Maybe it’s a huge mistake, like a missed deadline or a lost client. I am a
firm believer that you learn more from your losses than from your successes. If you start
tracking your losses, you’ll be more cognizant of why they are happening, and how you can
problem-solve for the future.

Identify Gaps

Once you have started keeping track of your losses, you’ll inevitably improve in some way.
Things like spelling errors and missed deadlines can be tackled with simple organizational
techniques. But some losses might be due to a skill gap.   Pay close attention to what
you can fix. Work hard on implementing your own spin on organizing your work life, on
maintaining good communications with clients and coworkers, and in other more detail-
oriented areas of work.

Expand Your Skill Sets

If you have identified your gaps, you can then take steps to fill them with the requisite skills.
This can seem daunting (and expensive), but that’s not true! You don’t need to accrue a
monumental amount of debt. You can likely attain the skills you need to level up by taking an
online certificate in something like digital design or data visualization. With online
certificates offered by The New School’s Open Campus, you can develop your professional
skills and take them straight into the present-day. Without having the burden of enrolling in

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time-intensive and costly graduate degree programs, Open Campus allows you unparalleled
flexibility to learn exactly the skills you need to thrive in your current position and to go after
your dream job.

Talk to Management

Communication with management is essential for a forward-moving career. First of all, cut
off any notion that management is scary or unapproachable. You are a valuable part of your
company, and you deserve to be seen and heard. Establish and keep an open line of
communication with management. In this way, you might be able to get management to buy
into career advancement seminars, skill development courses, and other professional
development that might interest you.
Always Ask Questions

The best way to get an answer to a question is by actually asking. (Who would have
guessed?) Use your open lines of communication to ask questions. Inquire about specific
changes, about upcoming projects, and about continued education opportunities. Asking
questions transforms you into an engaged employee, someone who is dedicated to learning
more and progressing within her company. As a perk, when you need to ask for help, you’ll
already have a rapport with several people in your workplace who are willing to lend an ear
and help out.

 Learn To Negotiate

Learn how to get what you want in your professional career. This will likely involve some
negotiation, which is an invaluable skill for upper management. Before ever asking for
anything, make sure to arm yourself with research, numbers (if applicable), and possible
positive outcomes. Part of negotiation will come from being able to present confidently and
convincingly. Make sure to master this skill.

Get Feedback

Get feedback wherever you can. If you’re not sure of something you’re working on, get
feedback. If you recently completed a project, get feedback. If you manage a team of
employees, get feedback. Get it? Feedback, get it.  Keep a constant loop of feedback open.

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Arm yourself with the knowledge of how you and your work are perceived. This will ensure
that you are always learning and growing professionally.

Actively Listen

We talked a good amount about how you can reach out to others. Listening skills are crucial
in the workplace. Aside from being polite (!), listening—really listening—will clue you into
things that are going on that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious. Listen to what management is
saying about the next quarter. Listen to what struggles your development team is having.
Listen to where marketing needs more support. When you have a 360-degree understanding
of what is happening (and how to fix it), you’re more likely to be promoted from within.

Always Network

When the time comes to make a professional advancement, you’ll have no choice but to
activate your networking skills. If the phrase “networking event” makes you cringe, fear not.
There are many ways to network that won’t leave you name-tagged, slinking in the corner of
a busy banquet hall with a greasy napkin full of pigs in a blanket. Take LinkedIn, for
example. Use it to network with employees at your desired company, with individuals who
work similar jobs to you, and to reach out to possible mentors.

Utilize your friend network, too. Chances are, you have a friend of a friend who might have
some insights into your industry or desired position. Casual conversations, coffee meet-ups,
and party conversations can serve as a manageable means of networking. Always find
opportunities to network, even if they are more alternative means. Even if you love your job,
it’s important to forge professional relationships and seek out mentors in your career. When
the time comes to advance your career or transition to a new company, you will covet advice
from these friendly professionals.

Say Yes To “Discomfort Zones”

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This is something I’ve made a huge effort to do over the past year. How many times have you
said “I can’t do that” when asked to participate in something outside of your comfort zone?
How many times have you avoided something that terrifies you?

Consider saying yes to things you’ve previously said no to. For me, my “discomfort zone”
would be appearing on video. At Career Contessa, as a personal challenge, I finally had to
say yes. While filming my first video, I was literally shaking through the first take. Today
(only a few weeks later!) I am much more at ease on camera. Something I could “never do” is
all of a sudden something I’ve done a few times over.

Consider Your Work-Life Balance

A key to advancing your career is not getting burnt out. Take a good look at your work life
balance. Is the work balance you have chosen serving you well? Can you sustain this level of
work for the next five years? The next ten years? Alternatively, is work fulfilling enough? If
you’re constantly bored at work, it’s probably time for a transition. Expanding your skills can
be the first step to recognizing a new professional future— maybe even one you never
considered achievable before now. Whether you are overworked or underworked,
consider redesigning your own future according to what will keep you happy and fulfilled in
the long-term.

Focus on Your Wellness

Don’t make any huge professional advances without first taking yourself into account. Gallup
describes workplace wellness with these five elements:

Purpose
Social 
Financial 
Community
Physical

Make sure all of these elements are in place in your career. If they aren’t (and at any point,
something will likely be out of whack) keep an eye on it. Small ways to focus on your
wellness are meditating, exercising, leaving work at the office, and getting quality, restorative
sleep. 

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Speak Positively to Yourself

This is a tough one for some of us. How does your internal dialogue run? Do you say positive
things to yourself within your mind? Do you give yourself pats on the back, compliment your
own appearance, and give yourself credit for a job well done? Many of us (myself included)
struggle with negative self-speak. This can unintentionally turn you into your own worst
enemy. Pay attention to your negative voice and make an effort to reframe positively. This
will be especially useful in the most challenging times.

Change What Doesn’t Work

Once you start listening to both the positive and negative aspects of your work life, you’ll
have a good grasp on what doesn’t work. Now it’s time to change it. We understand that you
can’t always quit a job when things aren’t working out. What you can do is address the root
of the problem and make a concerted effort to fix it. If the problem is too daunting or deeply-
rooted, then you might start looking for better opportunities. Whenever you’re looking
forward to a new opportunity, whether it’s a brand new job or a promotion within your
company, pay attention to red flags. In moments of excitement, we often ignore warning
signs of future turmoil. Hindsight is always 20/20. 

Establish A “Me First” Frame of Mind

In your life, you come first. Whether you’re a co-worker, an employee, a daughter, a wife, a
mother, a sister, or a friend, you still come first. Establishing a “me first” mentality will serve
you both in your professional life and your personal life. Putting yourself first and
maintaining a mindful awareness of your own well-being will set your career on track.
Someone who maintains a “me first” mentality is less likely to stay at a dead-end job, be
taken advantage of by a disrespectful boss, or overstay at an unfulfilling job for long.

Suitable Methods for Development Personal & Professional Development

There are different ways to take on development. It is necessary to perceive individual

learning styles and environment will make sure that you are able to obtain available
information and to get facility of all development opportunity. It will help us to choose the
most effective learning method for us. That doesn’t mean we cannot learn anything that not

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match with us. That doesn’t mean only suitable learning styles will help us to learn something
other’s not. But preferred style will optimize the chance of more learning.

Encouraging lifelong learning in personal and professional context:

Lifelong learning means learning without interrupting which will reflect personal life to
professional life. One can personally assess the lifelong learning by evaluating the strength,
weakness, opportunities and threats.

SWOT Analysis:
My personal assessment has been evaluated by SWOT analysis described below:
1. Strengthens: when I am assigned to do any task by my seniors. I take it seriously rather it
is small work; complete it in a great way. I can maintain an make a strong relationship with
people and its help me to maintain a strong network. My sense is good from young age and a
good predictionary if I have enough information and experience.

2. Weaknesses: Adventitiously, I make criticize which losses my self-confidence of doing

job. I get tired, cannot do one thing long hours simultaneously. Though I try to do all things
right, mistakes I cannot easily take.

3. Opportunities: I have strong observation power and I can take any decision upon based on
my past observation and faced challenges.

4. Threats: The world becomes hypercompetitive for graduates and executives. So,
applying education in professional life will take time to understand the market and my
position where belong. For professional life success, I feel the necessity of professional
development training.

Learning from self-observation: Learning by self observation is one of the best tools where
anyone can learn new stuffs; ameliorate the personal & professional skills both. After
observing and doing practically can bring efficiency in work. Continuing the course work,
education services, management-oriented leadership building will contribute more on
professional development.

Conclusion

To be efficient in the competitive world, it becomes demand of time and there are no other
choices without it. Different learning styles and self-managed learning is a popular way to

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learn and making a standard personal and professional development. Development is not easy
task. It comes on practicing. Evaluating the skill gap with organizational requirement and
fulfilling the gap is essential for every professional. Developing personally makes attractive
to his family, friends more over to public on the other hand developing professionally make
resourceful to the organization.

References

1. https://www.quora.com/What-does-personal-development-mean

2. https://www.definitions.net/definition/personal+development

3. https://www.ahaworldcampus.com/b/what-is-professional-development

4. https://tophat.com/glossary/p/professional-development/

5. https://medium.com/@personalitytips2020/importance-of-personality-development-

which-become-need-to-develop-a8593e61a9fb

6. https://www.whatsdannydoing.com/blog/why-is-personal-development-important

7. https://www.porkbusiness.com/article/7-reasons-why-professional-development-

important

8. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-personal-professional-development-

rachel-matthews/

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9. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/16-principles-personal-growth-development-gregg-

swanson/

10. https://www.plt.org/trainings/faq/5-guiding-principles/

11. https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/10-things-you-can-do-in-your-daily-life-to-improve-

your-personal-development.html

12. https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/career-development/

13. https://www.coursehero.com/u/file/20960094/assignment-on-PPD/#doc/qa

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