www.iaap-hq.org
Professional Development Essential For Job
Success
Johnson County Community College and the Center for Business and
Technology in Overland Park, Kansas has a publication called
Access: The Education and Business Newsletter. The a recent
edition cites a study by the American Society for Training and
Development that shows 93% of business executives believe it is
essential to align business strategies with learning strategies.
Another 85% felt it was imperative to measure the results.
The Center identified eight trends leading companies to provide
more training and professional development for staff. Take a
look at the trends and then we'll talk about what it means for
you and your professional development.
Organizations are focusing more on strategic planning, while seeking improvements in efficiency, productivity, and service quality.
Businesses are becoming more flexible, networked, flat, diverse, and virtual. For many, this means more work being done by fewer people.
Increased global economic interdependence and competition are forcing companies to find ways to do some work off-site.
Diversity will continue to increase, more temporary workers will be used for specific tasks, and the need for skilled workers will intensify.
Accelerated change requires more adaptable workers. Workers must learn new applications and processes.
Heightened security is everybody's concern - in personal lives, government, companies, and organizations.
Technology is helping organizations and individuals obtain greater efficiency and productivity from each person.
Employees want to work for sound organizations
they can trust. They want companies to invest in their employees
and help them succeed in a positive environment.
So how can you position yourself? Expand your skill base in the
following areas: technology applications and problem solving;
learn additional languages; take ownership for what needs to be
done, regardless of title; streamline your work and collaborate
with groups to expand your resources; focus on building customer
satisfaction and increasing the number of sales; be on the
lookout for security breaches and safeguard your systems
(computer and otherwise); get involved in the community and
project a good corporate image; keep learning through formal and
informal methods; grow your interpersonal skills and be able to
make new relationships fast that last; appreciate diversity and
get comfortable working with people different than you; embrace
the virtual community and forge collaborative relationships in
cyberspace; look at the big picture; plan ahead; and be
accountable for your work.
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