Run in Place or Move! The Choice is yours: 2012 Professional Development.

Model posted by Art Petty

Art Petty, author of several books on Leadership, Management and Professional Development, inspired me to think about my Professional Development Goals this year.  He offers this model of success where you keep on moving and keep on doing until you achieve success.  When it comes to individual Professional Development, he states it requires a deliberate and consistent effort to improve; move and take action!  Acquiring increasing skills and knowledge requires individuals to press on and fight the pull to do nothing and break away from the pack who may be running in place.

He offers 7 Quick Ideas to improve your Professional Development this year:  Personal reflections, Ask questions of yourself, Look for truths in your performance reviews, Start small and build from there, Read!, Stay positive and Celebrate all your victories- no matter how small. View a full explanation of his ideas by clicking on his name above, taking you to his blog posting.  In addition, you will find a list of his books on his site.

When @megangraff posted a video on Twitter called, "MOVE", I thought of how this creative and impressive work was indicative of what we need to bring to our own Professional Development.  Basically, this guy travels the world and takes a photo in each place.  As we see the artist walk and 'move' through the video with a smile on his face, the background setting is constantly changing. Sometimes that's how we can feel about Professional Development!  It is changing quickly and can be overwhelming.

However, if we face each new background (each new Professional Development opportunity) with a smile on our face, we are bound to learn more and enjoy the journey. The catch is: we've got to MOVE! When we move and try new ideas, we gain new perspectives, learn, grow and change. The scenery in the video reminds us to observe, question, reflect and take action.  Each step and photo he takes in the video encourages us to start small and build. The cheering heard in the video reminds us to enjoy ourselves as we learn, stay positive and celebrate all accomplishments; no matter how small. View this video here:


MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Art Petty says this is the bottom line: "If you are running in place, you're going to fall behind."

Let's MOVE in our 2012 Professional Development!