The Value of Developing your Career Through Continuous Self-Development

Learners master their profession through continuous self-development and self-improvement. Knowers waste their time telling others what they know. Learners spend their time asking questions of successful mentors or leaders and doing research to learn continuously. We know what we know, and many people don’t care about what they don’t know. Learners care about what they can do better and are driven by their curiosity to learn more.

In my life, one of my daily goals is to learn something new related to my work. One of the challenges for most of us is defining what we do well. We tend to gravitate to things we like to do in our professional lives. Success results from finding what you do best and what you like to do. Defining your strengths at work is critical. Once identified, improving your strengths every day with the goal of gaining knowledge and skills to master your powers can lead to professional success. Peter Drucker, the father of modern business management, defined this process in his article, “Managing Oneself.” 

The article recommends you do a simple but critical activity to find what you do best and enjoy doing at work. Make a list of the things at work where you believe you are the best. Make a list of the activities at your job where you are not the best. Compose a list of the things you like to do and another list of things you don’t want to do at work. Now merge these four lists, discard the activities you are not good at, and you don’t like to do. What’s left helps define your ideal job, career or business. 

Drucker made a profound statement about individual strengths, “working to improve your weaknesses creates mediocrity.” Enhancing your strengths can make you extraordinary. If you can’t find a job that requires those, you may have to build a business. Regardless, when your work showcases your strengths, it’s easier to achieve professional fulfillment.