Sometimes people get stuck in their development. They stagnate, not really developing at all, and perhaps already out of their depth in terms of skill. For those people, what is the key to self development?
One key, I’ve noticed, is that they need to develop an internal locus of control. Too often, people who are out of their depth have trouble meeting objectives. For some, it becomes a simple matter to push the blame off onto somebody else, be it your subordinates, superiors or even family. That’s an external locus of control. Consequently it’s difficult for people to see how they could influence the outcomes around them, or areas where they could improve.
That’s the first step to self development. Knowing where you must improve. If you don’t know the areas in which you are lacking, however do you intend to develop those skills? Without knowing, you don’t develop in the correct areas, if you develop at all.
So, if that’s the problem, then what is the solution? The answer is that it depends. Some people with an external locus of control respond well to coaching or mentoring. Having that third party identify areas of improvement can sometimes work. However, some people may still have trouble seeing that they need improvement. At lower organisational levels, some staff benefit more from structured “corporate” type training.
Do you have tips on self development? I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to post a comment below.
Self-development, for the most part, is geared towards making a successful career. But for me, I can’t treat my self-development activities as work. It must be tied to an interest somehow and viewed as a hobby and something exciting and fun. Otherwise I end up “working” too much. For me that little mind trick creates a profound effect in my attitude and actually increases the amount of time I am willing to dedicate to self-development.
I think Nancy’s comment is terrific — and I do agree that if you are only focused on self-development for work it can become a drag. I guess personal growth junkies like myself forget that for some people self-growth is just plain hard work and not a joy
The locus of control has such an impact on a person’s life — whether you are thinking about your personal life or your professional life.
You may find my article: http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com/locus-of-control.html a useful addition to read to this article and you may find a quick self-assessment I created on locus of control useful:
http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com/locus-of-control-quiz.html
Best wishes
Shelley
A big thank you to both of you, Nancy and Shelly!
I’m sure your articles & self assessment will be most useful! I’ve also subscribed to your blog Shelley.