CPA Practice Advisor - 27

THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR

How to Seek and Find
Professional Development
AMY VETTER, CPA.CITP, CGMA

Mindful Technologist &
Keynote Speaker
@AmyVetterCPA

IT'S ALL TOO easy to feel stagnant in your career, no matter how much success you've
achieved. You could be a partner at a major firm and still suffer from a sense of wanting
more. You know the story. You have a great job, opportunities to move up, your work is
valued, but something just doesn't feel right. You begin to wonder if your sense of listlessness
is the result of falling out of love with your profession. I've gotten everything I've wanted,
but I'm still feeling unsatisfied. What's wrong with me?

"A passive approach
to professional development
will leave you by the wayside."
~ Tom Peters, Author of
"In Pursuit of Excellence"

The truth of the matter is that
these feelings are perfectly normal
and are not at all related to your
position or the value you provide to
your team. When it comes to our
careers, advancement and development are not the same thing.
It's entirely possible to advance
without learning new things, adding new skills to your repertoire,
or growing in your ability to do
what you do well. Oftentimes, the
moments when we lose focus on
our development are precisely the
moments when we feel directionless
and without professional validation.
In other words, it's essential that we
make our jobs feel meaningful and
rewarding.
When I talk about professional
development, I'm not talking about
the required continuing education
credits many of us have to com-

plete.. Instead, I mean learning
opportunities that help us with
our growth, outside of compliance,
that make you a more capable team
member and a more agile contributor to your organization. Learning
begins with having a mindset that
you're still a beginner and have a
thirst for knowledge. It may also
involve ditching bad habits that
keep you from pursuing new opportunities. Always, though, it begins
with an honest impetus from within
you. Unlike a promotion, nobody
can tap you on the shoulder and
give you development. It's important to identify what we need and
find it, so we can feel fulfilled.

WHEN TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THE
UNCOMFORTABLE
People are leaving their jobs at
higher rates than any time in recent
history, many of them seeking out
better compensation doing a similar job at a similar company. The
story of the one-company worker is
becoming more and more of a rarity, and with good reason. Studies
indicate the workers who change
companies can earn as much as
15 percent more when they switch.
Some experts even recommend
switching jobs regularly in order to
have the most fulfilling career.

It's important to note that
chances for development may be
no better just by virtue of switching
jobs. Sure, you'll have the first six
months when everything feels new
and fresh, when you're learning
the systems and every day is a
new challenge, but what happens
after that? We can't run away from
who we are, the skills we have, and
the gaps we need to conquer. It's
up to us to step back in any situation that we are in and be more
of an observer and study it. If you
believe with the right support and
educational opportunities you can
reach your desired milestones, then
jumping ship doesn't necessarily
solve it. Being able to approach
a manager or leader and discuss
your aspirations is key in ensuring
you are in the right place and the
company wants the best for you
as well.

THE AVENUES FOR
DEVELOPMENT
Here's the good news when it comes
to development: Once you decide
to seek it out, there are countless
places you can find it. Mentorship is
one of the surest sources of development. Seek out people who are
leaders in your field, both inside and
outside of your workplace, and ask
them for guidance. That may sound

OCTOBER 2019 ■

like an intimidating prospect, but
mentors want to help people who
are passionate and willing to learn.
Demonstrating your interest in
receiving guidance from somebody
can lead to massive growth.
Additionally, books, podcasts,
and other passive resources can be
hugely beneficial for development.
Try subscribing to a few podcasts
that focus on topics you'd like to
improve, whether they are technical skills, technological awareness,
or interpersonal relationships. Of
course, real development is only
going to come once you've taken the
time to define what success looks
like to you. If development is going
to be real and lasting, it can't be
cookie-cutter or done in an attempt
to appease somebody else.
The beauty of our informationsaturated age is the breadth and
depth of resources available to you.
Most of the time, simply motivating
yourself to take the first step is the
hardest part. Once you can do that,
you can unlock a world where work
is never boring and the only question you start ask is, "How can I get
better today?" ■

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