红杏视频

Feeling 鈥渟tuck鈥� in your current career is a common issue, but there are ways to get moving again.

Susan MacLennan is a senior organisational development specialist at 红杏视频 with extensive experience in leadership and management development.

According to her, it has never been more important for employees to be proactive about their professional development.

鈥淚n today鈥檚 volatile and fast-paced business environment, it is crucial that people make the most of opportunities in order to stay current within their field,鈥� she said.

鈥淪taff costs are the largest cost that most employers will face, and well-trained, effective and happy people are any organisation鈥檚 greatest asset.

鈥淭o attract and retain the best and brightest talent, organisations need to be giving staff the opportunity to continuously learn.鈥�

Susan believes that for the 鈥渕illennial generation鈥� this is a basic expectation.

鈥淎 report by PwC shows that professional development opportunities are the first benefit millennials look for from employers, followed by flexible working hours and cash bonuses,鈥� she said.

鈥淪o, it鈥檚 hugely important for employers to have a development programme in place.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 putting together such a programme, I start by introducing the topic of self-awareness.

鈥淏eing self-aware and having an understanding of the impact you may have on others is crucial in order to form effective relationships at work.

鈥淎dded to this, mentoring and coaching are integral to all development programmes.

鈥淢atching more experienced staff with those looking for support and advice is beneficial to both the mentor and the mentee.

鈥淔or the mentor it allows for the development of leadership and brings a sense of satisfaction from helping others.

鈥淭he mentee benefits from having someone who has 鈥榖een there鈥� to learn from in terms of coping with change, career management and personal growth.鈥�

For Susan, a common model for learning and development is the 70/20/10 model 鈥� with 70% of learning taking place on the job and 20% 鈥渘ear鈥� the job, including coaching and mentoring, feedback and reading books and journals.

Only 10% of learning takes place off the job in formal classroom learning, online training courses and distance learning courses.

鈥淭he biggest piece of advice I can give is that it is imperative for you to take responsibility for your own career development,鈥� said Susan.

Susan鈥檚 top tips for career development include:

• Be proactive in seeking out relevant development opportunities.
• Conduct a skills audit. For example, what are your strengths? What are the areas for improvement?
• Have a clear vision or plan for the next three to five years to seek out development opportunities which will help you get there.
• Be creative in your approach 鈥� job shadow, where possible, get involved in projects relating to your role.
• Remember the 70-20-10 model. Not all development takes place in the classroom.
• Have the right attitude, be flexible, adaptable and proactive.