Personal Development Skills and Its Importance for Your Career

  

What is Personal Development?

Developing life skills to achieve mental, physical, emotional, and social growth is known as personal development. Human beings need to grow constantly to become a more improved version of themselves. If we are not growing, we run the risk of becoming stagnant and deteriorating the qualities that we do possess. Personal development is a way to build human capital and increase life satisfaction! Human capital is the coherent whole of all the knowledge, habits, social, and personal attributes that are directly related to the ability to perform labor and increase economic value. Human capital is an asset that can be used by organizations to meet their economic goals. Therefore, personal development through improving your human capital results directly in increasing your employability.

The origin of personal development lies in age-old Abrahamic religions as well as 20th-century philosophies. People have been using these techniques to improve the quality of life for a long time. There is even evidence of practices such as mediation, fasting, and exercise used by the ancient Greeks and Romans in a process called ''Epimeleia.'' However, two major philosophies stand out as what can be proclaimed as the “source” of human development. These are the philosophies of Aristotle and Confucius.

Personal development is a life-long process. The mark of productive life is an ongoing process of assessing your values, life goals and constantly building your skills and qualities to maximize and reach your potential.

Why is Personal Development Important?

If you’ve ever wondered why people with the same skills and the same level of knowledge get different results, we are here to help you figure out the answer. Psychologist Daniel Levinson proposed that personal development occurs as a result of the influence of aspiration held by a person throughout his life. He referred to these aspirations as the ‘Dream’.

Source: Success Magazine

Similarly, Albert Bandura, a well-known psychologist, found that self-efficacy is the reason why people with similar skill sets and the same level of knowledge often get very different results. Self-efficacy according to Bandura, is an individual's belief in his/her capacity necessary to execute performance attainments. Bandura thought that self-confidence serves as one of the most powerful indicators of success because;

Ø  It makes you expect that you will succeed.

Ø  It allows you to take risks and set challenging goals.

Ø  It helps you control emotions and fears when the going gets rough.

Ø  It is important to cultivate personal development skills for a variety of reasons. Here are just some ways of why they are essential.

Ø  They allow you to create strategic plans to succeed personally and professionally.

Ø  Better hone your personality.

Ø  Advance in your career.

Ø  Achieve Life satisfaction.

Ø  Find Fulfillment in life and your career.

What is Personal Development Skills Exactly?

As we discussed previously, they are skills and traits that are hugely beneficial to you and your career. But what exactly are these skills you need to develop? Read on to find out!

1.Adaptability

First on the list is adaptability. This is your ability to adjust and deal with all that life throws at you. Adaptability is an important skill, not just career-wise but also an extremely vital skill to live a fulfilling life. Nobody can control where life takes them. Sometimes you may face obstacles that you have no idea how to overcome. Something, you never imagined happening in your wildest dreams. When faced with something like this you need to stay calm. Being calm ensures that you think about your every move in a clear and level headed way. This will lead to you the best decision for you because you are not operating in a panic.

Another important thing to remember is not to be rigid. Go with the flow and change as time demands.

Let’s consider the coronavirus pandemic as an example. The current situation of the world is something nobody saw coming. Having to adjust to a life with the virus proved to be an incredibly different task. The work environment as well as life as we know it has taken a 180-degree turn. During these unprecedented times, the organizations and people that were quick to accept the change and adapt to it were the ones who proved the most successful.

2. Work ethic

Good work ethic is something many people lack. Expecting everything to just work out for you without putting in the effort required is at best foolhardy and at worst seriously detrimental to your career. Not to mention your personal life. Having a good work ethic doesn’t mean only working hard. It includes other important aspects of working in a professional manner, such as; reliability, responsibility, and discipline. Research has found that people with a good work ethic tend to be more productive and live more fulfilling lives as compared to those who lack responsibility.

What you need to keep in mind, is that at some point, the amount of knowledge you have is not what determines success. Sure, knowledge and skills are an important part of it but it is not the only thing that matters. Most people you meet will tell you they just lack the motivation. While that might be true for some of them, it is false for about 70 percent of them. Most people do not lack motivation, what they lack is discipline. Getting up early to put in the work required to achieve your goals requires discipline. Going to bed at a reasonable hour and saying no to another night of binging Netflix requires discipline. Pushing your body to exercise or maintaining good posture requires discipline.

3. Problem-solving skills.

Life will throw you a series of challenges. Your job is to deal with them efficiently. This is where problem-solving skills come in. This is a skill that is important not only to be successful in regards to your career but also for your personal life.

Problem-solving skills refer to your ability to solve issues innovatively. Good problem solvers remain calm in the event of a crisis and always take the time to calmly assess all the options to come up with a valid solution.

Organizations value people with good problem skills. These are some of the most important members of any team. These are the people who get the job done, which is why they are held in high regard. This is also one of the reasons why people who have good problem-solving skills are more likely to succeed in their careers.

 

4. Communication.

In today’s incredibly fast-paced world, each of us only has a limited amount of time to make ourselves be heard. Research has proven that the continuing growth of social media has lead to people’s attention spans shrinking over time. So what does this mean for you? This means that to catch attention and make an impression with your words you need to be concise and to the point. No more rambling rants to explain a simple process. That simply won’t do in today’s corporate environment. Your boss or your colleagues will also appreciate it if you are an efficient communicator. It not only makes their job easier for them but also saves on time.

Communication includes speaking, writing, and listening. Good communicators can speak clearly and confidently, in a tone that is positive and appropriate for the situation. These skills lead you to understand what others are saying as well as properly convey what you are feeling and thinking.

Along with these interpersonal skills are also crucial. Especially for your social life. Interpersonal skills affect your ability to build lasting relationships and make a good impression on others. These are the verbal and nonverbal behaviors and reactions to interactions with other people.

5. Self-confidence

As discussed, self-confidence is one of the most important skills you can have. Self-confidence refers to your belief in your abilities and actions.

Source: Medium

6.      Integrity

The last but certainly not the least skill you must develop is Integrity. Integrity means to stand by that which you think is right and to tell the truth even if it is at a personal detriment. Integrity is one of the most important aspects of leadership. It demands honesty and truthfulness. Integrity is the core quality of a successful and happy life Having integrity means being honest in all aspects of your life, by making this commitment, you are more capable of having success in your life than others.

How can you achieve these skills?

The question arises, how can you incorporate these skills in your life in the way of personal development. How can you ensure that you grow constantly after you have strived to be a better person? The good news is that there are numerous ways in which you can develop these skills. We are here to help you figure this out.

Ø  Challenge yourself

Aim high. It is okay if your goals are out of reach. We are not suggesting that you set impossible, unrealistic goals for yourselves. You must make sure that your goals are achievable but they are not so easy that you deny yourself the satisfaction of achievement. There must be some sort of change occurring as a result of all your tasks. Search for middle ground.

Ø  Be accountable

Remember that you are responsible for your success. Any progress you will achieve is for the most part up to you. Accountability eliminates time spent doing meaningless, unproductive tasks. If you learn that you are accountable for your behavior, that means you have learned the value of your hard work. You are answerable for the outcome of your choices. Being accountable will help you be responsible and more confident in your choices and actions.

Ø  Learn something new

You can improve your development skills by taking classes, learning from the people around you, gaining new talents, and improving existing ones. You can learn a new skill or a new topic. It is entirely up to you whether you want to do this by yourself or by joining a class. No skill is out of bounds.

This will not only expand your knowledge and keep you current but also stimulate your mind. The biggest source of learning is observing others. This can be anyone from your boss to your family member or a public figure you admire. Observe keenly and identify traits you admire and try to replicate them yourself.

Ø  Overcome your fears

In the process of personal development, an essential thing is to learn how to overcome your fears. To truly get rid of your fears you need to first be exposed to them. This desensitizes you and causes you to deal with your fear in a more rational, logical manner.

Allow yourself to be afraid. There is no shame in it. Once you are comfortable with the uncertainty of it, you can progress forward. Don’t let fear prevent you from growing or moving towards your goals.

Ø  Become proactive.

Stop the habit of procrastinating and make an effort to be more proactive. Remind yourself that others do not control your fate and that you are the master of your destiny. Anything you want, you can achieve by the sweat of your brow. You are not the victim of your circumstance. You must learn to take responsibility for the results you get.

How Is Personal Development Beneficial For Your Career?

Your career, like your life, will benefit massively from personal development. With the skills, you learn you will be able to set clear goals for yourself. You will be more motivated to work towards these goals proactively since they are clear and achievable. But also, just challenging enough that you enjoy completing them. You will also be able to have a better work-life balance. By taking out the time to focus on your learning and development, you’ll not only be improving your knowledge, morale, and, confidence. You could also be improving your career prospects. Your newfound abilities and skills will make you a disciplined and reliable employee with enviable integrity. Making you an extremely valuable employee.

Remember, there is no single manual to achieve personal development. It is a lifelong journey, but with baby steps, you will be able to see an enviable increase in your life satisfaction. To say nothing about the improvement in your career prospects.