(Personal) Development

Definition of personal development

Personal development is an active process that begins with self-awareness and continues with the development of strengths and the improvement of weaknesses. This process can enhance your employability, help you achieve your career goals and increase your personal and professional satisfaction.

For example, to develop your communication competencies, you need to learn more about your communication strengths and weaknesses, work to improve specific areas, and then use these improvements to achieve specific goals.

In a professional context, corporate personal development refers to a set of practices and activities aimed at improving an individual’s competencies, skills and performance in the workplace. This can include professional training, coaching, mentoring, team-building workshops, personal effectiveness courses, and more.

What are the origins of the concept of personal development?

The concept of personal development in business has its origins in several theories in psychology and management. Among the most relevant are:

1. The theory of professional identity development (Erik Erikson): According to Erikson, professional identity develops throughout an individual’s life, passing through various stages. This idea has been taken up in the concept of personal development, which aims to accompany this professional evolution.
2. Needs theory (Abraham Maslow): According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, ranging from basic physiological needs to the need for self-actualization. Corporate personal development aims to satisfy these higher-level needs, helping employees to realize their full potential.
3. The theory of participative management (Douglas McGregor): McGregor suggested that employees are more motivated and productive when they are involved in decision-making and have the opportunity to develop personally and professionally.
4. Reinforcement theory (B.F. Skinner): According to Skinner, behavior can be modified by positive reinforcement. This is a key idea in personal development, which often uses reward and recognition to encourage improved performance.
5. Social learning theory (Albert Bandura): Bandura stressed the importance of learning by observing and imitating others. In the context of personal development, this can involve mentoring, coaching and other forms of collaborative learning.

What is a personal development plan?

A personal development plan is a structured tool that enables an individual to define clear personal and professional goals, as well as strategies for achieving these goals. It generally focuses on improving certain competencies or acquiring new ones, increasing productivity, managing stress, developing leadership skills, etc.

Here are the general steps for creating a personal development plan:

1. Self-assessment: This involves understanding your strengths, weaknesses, interests, values and aspirations. This may involve formal assessments, such as personality tests or performance appraisals, as well as personal reflections.
2. Objective setting: On the basis of your self-assessment, define clear and precise objectives that you want to achieve. These objectives can be short-, medium- or long-term, and must be realistic and measurable.
3. **Identify the competencies, knowledge or experience you’ll need to achieve your goals. This could involve acquiring new competencies or reinforcing existing ones.
4. Action planning: Create a detailed action plan to achieve each objective. This might involve attending training courses, reading books, finding a mentor, etc.
5. Monitoring and revision: Regularly monitor your progress against your goals. If necessary, adjust your plan to take account of new information or changes in your circumstances.
6. Evaluation: Finally, evaluate your progress using the criteria you’ve defined. This will help you see how you’ve progressed and determine the next steps in your personal development.

In a company, this plan can be drawn up in collaboration with the manager, the human resources department or a professional coach. However, it must always be personalized and tailored to the individual’s specific needs and objectives. Praditus helps you build your personal development plan thanks to its self-knowledge platform and its 2-session PDP Mobilization path.

What are the main difficulties encountered when seeking personal development?

Personal development can sometimes be a challenge, due to a number of potential obstacles. Here are some of the most common difficulties:

1. Lack of clarity: Some people may find it difficult to define precisely what they want to achieve in their personal development. Without clear goals, it’s difficult to measure progress and stay motivated.
2. Lack of time: Personal development often requires time for learning, practice and reflection. In an increasingly busy world, finding that time can be a challenge.
3. Lack of resources: Some forms of personal development may require financial resources, such as books, courses or coaches. Lack of these resources can limit development opportunities.
4. Resistance to change: Personal development often involves changing ingrained behaviors or habits, which can be uncomfortable and lead to resistance.
5. Fear of failure: Some people may fear that their personal development efforts will not succeed, which can prevent them from starting or continuing.
6. Lack of support: Support from others can be crucial to personal development. Without support from mentors, peers or superiors, it can be difficult to stay motivated and overcome obstacles.
7. Difficulties in measuring progress: It can sometimes be difficult to measure progress in personal development, as many of its benefits are intangible and occur over the long term.

Despite these challenges, personal development is a valuable investment that can lead to greater personal and professional satisfaction, improved job performance and a better overall quality of life.

What are the best reads for learning more about personal development in the workplace?

There are many books on personal development in business that can help you deepen your understanding of the subject. Here are a few suggestions:

• “How to make friends and influence others” by Dale Carnegie: A classic that teaches fundamental principles of communication and social interaction.
• The 7 Habits of Achievers by Stephen R. Covey:** Another must-read book on personal and professional effectiveness.
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck. Dweck:** A book on the importance of adopting a growth mindset for personal development and success.
• Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” by Daniel Goleman:** Goleman explores the concept of emotional intelligence and its importance for personal and professional success.
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink :** Pink explores intrinsic motivation and how it can be used to boost productivity and job satisfaction.
• Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman:** A fascinating book that explores the two systems of thinking that guide our decisions, and how understanding these systems can help us make better decisions.
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg:** This book is particularly recommended for women in business, with advice on how to develop and progress professionally.
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear:** This book offers practical strategies for developing good habits and breaking bad ones, a crucial element of personal development.

These books cover a variety of topics related to personal development in business, such as communication, leadership, motivation, emotional intelligence and habits. They can provide you with a solid foundation for understanding and applying the principles of personal development in your professional life.

How can Praditus help managers and employees to improve their personal development?

Praditus is a personal development platform offering a range of online tools to help individuals and companies identify their strengths, develop their competencies and achieve their professional goals. Here are just a few of the ways Praditus can help managers and employees in companies:

1. Competency and talent assessment: Praditus offers an online personality test that enables individuals to identify their strengths, weaknesses and talents. This can help managers understand their teams’ working styles and assign tasks more effectively, and help employees understand where they can best contribute.
2. Career development: Praditus can help employees identify their career aspirations and draw up a development plan to achieve their goals. This can include identifying the competencies needed to progress and training opportunities to develop these competencies.
3. Coaching and mentoring: Praditus offers coaching and mentoring sessions that can help employees overcome professional challenges, develop their competencies and achieve their career goals.
4. Leadership development: Praditus also offers tools and resources to help managers develop their leadership competencies. This can include strategies to improve communication, decision-making, conflict management and other key leadership competencies.
5. Improving well-being at work: Praditus offers resources to help employees manage stress, improve work-life balance and increase job satisfaction.

In short, Praditus can be a valuable tool for corporate personal development, helping individuals to understand and develop their talents, achieve their career goals and improve their job satisfaction.