Although Continuous Professional Development (CPD) obligations exist in most professions and you agree that it fulfills an important role within the career and professional space – why is it still is a challenge for most? Do you really know what it means?
CPD definition
An explanation of the phrase:
Continued – because learning never ceases, regardless of age or seniority;
Professional -because the focus is on your professional competence and
Development – because your goal is to enhance personal performance and career progression.
If you know what it is you can plan it. And if you can plan it, you can ace it.
10 Steps
To set you up for continued professional and personal success, be creative when formulating your CPD plan and think outside of the box. Professional development could mean working with an executive and career coach, or even mastering a foreign language.
1. Self-analysis – an audit of yourself (your own detailed SWOT analysis).
2. Goal-setting – design holistically S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals that will work for you (2, 5, 10yrs).
3. Skills-research – identity the specific skills, experience, knowledge and relationships that are needed to achieve your goals.
4. Decision-making – look at options that will work for you and then choose the best ones.
5. Actions – align your specific ‘to do’s’ with your goals and think big (mentor, projects completed, new job, experiences, professional coach…).
6. Resources – quantify exact needs to accomplish set goals (money, time, approval and support, relevant courses, education, professional bodies).
7. Deadlines – pin the completion date down as a final pledge and share with your helpers for encouragement along the way.
8. Execution – commit to your actions and schedule them into your diary to ensure follow-through.
9. Revision – revisit the process on a continuous basis as your professional life changes continually.
10. Tracking – keep record of the actuals to ensure the logging process is effortless.
Your responsibility as a CA(SA)
As the guardian of your CA(SA) designation, your pledge to lifelong learning provides lasting benefits to you, your business or employer and the economy as a whole.
To learn is to lead. Now, go learn!
Author: Stanford Payne CA(SA) is an ICF Accredited Executive and Business Coach.
