CPD - Thriving Through Continuous Professional Development

CPD (Continuous Personal or Professional Development) is a rarely discussed and critical ingredient to the success almost everyone achieves - in any field. In my last Blog I discussed how we can switch gears and go from Coping to Thriving. This time, we're looking at how we can make that transition even more fruitful.

Last Christmas I ran a Giveaway on my social media accounts called "Leaders Are Readers". It was a selection of signed books I had pulled together from my connections across my network to giveaway to the lucky person who won the draw. I called it Leaders Are Readers for three reasons;

1. Every leader I have ever coached was able to talk about a book they were reading right now, and recall a book/audiobook/talk that had made a difference in their life.
2. It is a well-known fact that if you want to lead effectively, you're going to need a bit more than the knowledge you can get through the education system.
3. The volume and pace of change dictates that we'll need to constantly update our skills, knowledge and understanding of new things or risk becoming irrelevant.
4. It's a nice alliterative phrase!

A phrase I learned a long time ago and has stuck with me is; "School's never out for the professional." It's a phrase I often repeat when working with the graduates of our leadership programmes. Learning is a compounding process. There's value not just in the particular thing we are digesting, but enhanced value too in all of the additional connections our brain makes, using the new information. In effect, the more we learn:

• the greater number of insights we perceive,
• the better quality opportunities we perceive,
• the more life goals we will be able to achieve.

In my latest video, I share my own experience when it comes to the lifelong benefits of investing in my own continuous personal development.

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In the meantime, grab a few moments for yourself. Consider, how could you get started and make self development a habit in your life? What appeals to you most? Maybe it's something like a diet of TED Talks, or finding a time to delve into that stack of books you've been staring at for the past year? Capture your first thoughts in your journal, your diary or your phone.

Don't take my word for it...

It's true to say that anyone who has ever attempted anything in life has very quickly encountered a challenge beyond their current levels of understanding. So, in some respects, just by engaging with the world we will expand our capability. However, we can do so much more. Here's a very short extract (4mins 10 secs) from an appearance Bill Clinton made at the Big Think conference in 2014. Watch the video.

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”

                                                                                                    ― Isaac Asimov

I hope you are enjoying these small blogs. My aim is to provide ideas, insights and inspiration to help you tackle the many changes we experience in life. Subscribe today and join our growing community of change makers who never miss a blog. Right now, you can also get a FREE COPY of my new eBook “The Time Of Your Life” just by subscribing. It’s my gift to you for making a micro commitment to your own journey. Just tell us your name and best email address and we’ll get you the book immediately. Join us here.