Professional development plans are a great way of improving the relationship between employees and their supervisors. Apart from that, they are also resourceful in improving the output of the employees hence resulting in better productivity in the workplace and a subsequent profitability in a company. Professional development plans serve the purpose of documenting the objectives, competence development, prerequisite skills as well as the goals that employees will need to achieve so as to develop in their careers. An in-depth look at some of the best professional development strategies that can be implemented by a staff member, their applicability as well as their effectiveness in improving the employee's performance are discussed in the below discourse.
Most scholars have reiterated the importance of implementing professional development plans at the beginning of every year in an organization (Trammell, 2018) . For any organization to thrive, it is incumbent that each employee develops a unique professional development plan. Indeed, organizations should not see the need of implementing a professional development plan when an employee’s performance dwindles but should make it a continuous practice (Trammel, 2018). For practicability and effectiveness, professional development plans should be reviewed on an ongoing basis all year round. In between, there should be an interim discussion between a supervisor and a junior staff member before the review is commenced.
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Professional Development Strategies
Hone a Learning Mindset
One of the best strategies that can be used by an employee who’s still developing in his/her career is to have the habit of continuous learning. Indeed, it is only through learning that an employee can acquaint himself/herself with new things that can serve a great role in improving his/her skills (Trammel, 2018). However, learning is only possible if a member of staff adopts a positive attitude towards learning new things. Research has proven that dedicating at least 50 % of one’s time to learning new things contributes immensely to one’s professional development and subsequent career boost (Trammel, 2018). Learning will automatically put an employee ahead of his/her colleagues. In the course of learning, a member of staff might come across activities that he/she can implement to improve his/her organization. Such new things might include a better work ethic and punctuality in delivering tasks.
Examine Decision-Making Capabilities
One difference that stands out between junior staff members is their ability to make critical decisions quickly and in a timely manner (Trammel, 2018). An organization will automatically rid itself of mediocrity by challenging every employee to develop a professional development plan and include in it how they can make better decisions in future (Trammel, 2018). In fact, employees can only achieve their full potential if they examine their past decisions critically before making new ones. Professional development will only be achieved if workers delegate all major decisions to be made by others, such as their immediate supervisor or the company CEO (Trammel, 2018). Such a move is indeed a perfect way of eliminating decision-making biases.
Attend training programs, Seminars, and Workshops
In the modern corporate world, better decision-making abilities coupled with learning new things can only take an employee as far. Training programs have proven to be one of the best ways of improving an employee performance and overall output (Crawford, 2016). Contemporary corporate trainers have embraced training through seminars and workshops as one of the ways of inculcating positive work ethic and injecting new blood, energy, and vigor not only in employees but also in CEOs (Crawford, 2016). Attending training programs will be in sync with employees’ professional development plan since it will acquaint them with new skills that they will be able to use to bring about positive changes to their organizations (Crawford, 2016) . Apart from the essential skills that seminars and training programs give staff, they are also a perfect place to network and meet new people, all of which are very invaluable.
Teach Others
Renowned scholars have time and again stated that teaching is one of the most underutilized tools by staff in their respective professions (Crawford, 2016). To a great extent, this is very true. One of the best ways of mastering a particular art is to try to teach it to as many people as possible. Imparting knowledge on others is a very effective way of perfecting one’s knowledge (Crawford, 2016). Reason being that it gives the teacher an ingenious way of thinking about the subject in various ways (Crawford, 2016). Therefore, it’s imperative that each employee takes advantage of the opportunity to teach his/her colleagues at every available chance.
Overall Financial Value of the Strategies
All the strategies mentioned in the above discourse have immense financial value to organizations (Crawford, 2016). Learning, teaching others, attending seminars and examining decision-making capabilities will eventually play a pivotal role in increasing an organization’s fortunes (Crawford, 2016). Employees who has taken it upon themselves to learn a plethora of things related to their filed will definitely have a better output at the workplace (Crawford, 2016). Subsequently, the company will experience increased turnovers and revenue since the training will have enabled the members of staff to know the factors that they can implement to minimize running costs and maximize on long-term profitability.
The effectiveness of the Strategies in Improving Human Services
Training opportunities equip staff with the right techniques that they will use to improve customer service. Customer relations and services are at the core of an organization’s survival and continued operations (Crawford, 2016). The strategies mentioned above will automatically improve employee’s performance upon which they will be able to deliver effectively to their organizations’ clients.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that an entity worth its salt should make it its priority to implement employee professional development plans. The benefits of doing so are immense and cannot be underestimated or overlooked under any circumstance whatsoever. Strategies such as learning, attending training programs, improving decision-making abilities and teaching others are invaluable ways of improving employees’ performance and overall output.
References
Crawford, M. (2016). Why professional development matters to the success of a company. The Business Journals .
Trammell, J. ( 2018). 10 Ways to Maximize Your Professional Development. Manuseto Ventures .
