Curiosity didn´t kill the cat
An interesting note was published in La Nación newspaper. It´s title was: “Las personas exitosas buscan aprender” (successful people search for learning).
The executive interviewed was Mr. John Fallon, who is CEO at a company that provides educational services: Pearson Education .
For Mr. Fallon, the most important thing for any professional, is to detect which tools, skills and knowledge each one needs to learn, in order to improve the performance at work.
But one of the things that he said, made me think about the different ways to invest in our own professional and personal growth. He said that nowadays what makes the difference between one professional and another, is that inner motivation to learn, that “curiosity” that moves you, that makes you wonder “why”, regarding or not your expertise area.
He mentioned that most of the people are expecting to receive training courses from the company where they are working. And it is true! During a lot of recruiting interviews, people claim for training courses promoted by the company. Ok. That is fine. But, why some people wait to receive and some people are constantly searching for?
And here we find one big difference between a professional and a successful professional: a successful proffesional is proactive about their own professional growth and self-development. As S. Covey said in the first chapter of his book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” : “be proactive is about taking responsibility for your life” and do not try to blame external sources for your behavior.
Self-Development is taking personal responsibility for one’s own learning and development through a process of assessment, reflection, and taking action.
The goal is to continually update your skills and to remain marketable in the workplace. And of course, it will help you to determine your future career direction.
Some tips:
- Assess your current skills and interest through paper-and-pencil career tests or through computer programs that analyze skills and interests.
- Maintain a learning log or diary to help you analyze what you are learning from work experiences.
- Write a personal vision and mission statement.
- Develop a personal development plan that identifies your learning needs and goals.
- Find a mentor who can provide you with support, advice, and assistance in your career direction.
- Become involved in professional organizations.
- Read professional journals and trade magazines to keep current on the latest developments in your field.
As a closure of his interview, Mr. Folley commented the positive impact of having a degree at the university, but this is only the starting point of any professional path. Knowing where you want to go + motivation mixed with curiosity will help you to be successful in your career development.