The document outlines ten key points for professional development, emphasizing the importance of setting long-term goals, enhancing technical knowledge, and self-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses. It encourages organizing actionable steps, recording significant moments of accomplishment, and being adaptable to changes in the work environment. Additionally, it highlights the value of teamwork and collaboration in achieving professional success.

1. 10 Key points
For Professional
Development
© Silvia Sowa

2. 1. Developing Action steps
• Organize your actions by
establishing the concrete steps to
improve as a professional.
• This means to determine the things
you would like or have to change in
periods of time, short or long term,
and transform them into single
actions.
• Make a list of them, then expand
them by going to the next step.

3. 2. Set Long term
goals first
• This process begins by writing a series of
questions related to your job performance and
your levels of satisfaction.
• They might be: Am I satisfied with the work I
perform? Where would I like to be? Do I really
enjoy my everyday activities? How can I feel
better on my own performance? Is there
something I need to change?...

4. 3. Technical knowledge
• There is a need to upgrade
knowledge and technical skills,
according to the rapid advance
in order to remain current with
jobs requirements.

5. 4. Developing
Action-steps
• Organize your actions by
establishing the concrete steps to
improve as a professional.
• This means to determine the things
you would like or have to change in
periods of time, short or long term,
and transform them into single
actions.

6. 5. Make a record of your
“pinnackle moments”
• Keeping a record of those
moments that have helped you
to feel satisfied about yourself
is a key component for you to
learn to appreciate them, and
to be able to find more
opportunities to met those
events.

7. 6. Evaluate yourself
• Evaluate what are your current skills and
your strengths as well as your weaknesses
in your career or professional development.
• Work especially with the limiting factors by
pursuing academic degrees, certification
programs or self-developing courses.

8. 7. Explore context
• Analyze what is going around you.
• Evaluate if there are deeper changes that
out of reach, then
• Decide whether to act, to wait, to talk, to
change, etc…

9. 8. Be ready for changes!
• Analyze what changes your organization is
performing and what is your role on them.
• Investigate what missions or projects
appeal to you, and how can you support
them.
• Be ready to take opportunities around you.

10. 9. Make a list of your
skills and how
to put them into practice
Include all areas, some of them:
• Give presentations • Designing materials
• Manage people • Training others
• Conceptualize ideas • Visionary
• Coordinate services • Written communication skills
• Make business deals • Multitask
• Create advertising materials • Promote products or
• Financial planning services
• Verbal communication skills • Estimate costs
• Legal expertise..etc …..

11. 10. Work in team
• Truly believe and practice on the
collaborative skills.
• Pursue cooperative work and find
the balance to do so.
• Develop actions and attitudes to
team up.

12. …be sure to enjoy what you
do!
• Establish priorities
• Control your mood, the best
way possible
• Take decisions
• Prepare yourself
• Organize your day, your week,
your work
• Emphasize on key elements
that need to be adapted
Good luck!
Please use copyrighted citation. © Silvia Sowa. 2012. Guatemala, C.A.