In most career fields, much is changing--regulations, technologies, markets, customers, products, services, structures and relationships. To remain a strong contributor, a person has to be a life-long learner. When people stop learning, their ability to contribute declines. Those who do not continue to develop themselves become weak links in the chain that holds the work group together. A person probably needs to absorb the equivalent of at least 50 books a year, just to remain aware of new trends, ideas, concepts, methods and best practices.

No one can force a person to pursue professional development. Learning is an individual matter, and people have to take responsibility for their own professional development. What is needed is curiosity, an open mind and a willingness to try something new. People learn much more about dealing with each other during day-to-day operations than they could possibly learn in training courses. They need to see their jobs as their primary training ground, focusing on developmental needs and making an effort to improve their behavior and performance with every interaction.

The people who gave you feedback may feel that you are not staying current in your career field.

• They may want you to take a greater interest in self-development.
• Possibly the technology used in your work has advanced in recent years.
• Perhaps certain policies and procedures have changed.
• Quality standards may be higher than they used to be.
• New skills may be required.
• The nature of the business of your organization may be changing.
• A different kind of contribution may be needed from you.

• If the comments in your report do not describe in enough detail why you received a relatively low rating, consider asking the people who rated you for more specific examples of your actions.

• Perhaps the people who work around you expect more of you than you realize. Tell them you want to continue to improve yourself professionally. Ask them what more they would like to see you do to improve your knowledge and skills.

• Identify someone who is dedicated to self-development. If possible, study this person's on-the-job behavior. Consider asking this person to observe you and give you feedback.

• Think about an actual situation in which a lack of ability caused you difficulties. Analyze what happened, why and the consequences. How could the situation have been handled differently?

• Also, look for lessons learned from using your strengths successfully. What did you do? Why did you choose to do it that way? What benefits resulted? How can you use these strengths in other ways? Record your lessons learned from both successes and mistakes in a personal journal used exclusively for development.

• Obtain or draft a detailed list of the competencies required to perform well in your role.

• Determine the degree to which your professional advancement is linked to your educational advancement. Assess how much you will need to learn during the next year in order to perform better in your job or to find a new one. Evaluate whether any of the opportunities you seek require new skills or knowledge.

• Don't limit your search for learning opportunities to areas that you find familiar, comfortable, or enjoyable. Take on the "hard stuff," where you are most likely to be challenged. Seek "learning situations," where you will be confronted with something you haven't seen before and challenges that are important and exciting to you, rather than "tickets" to advancement.

• Let work be your teacher. Jump in and do things. Don't expect training courses to be the primary vehicle for learning. Daily on-the-job experiences are much more fertile opportunities for developing leadership skills. Exploit this opportunity by focusing on one developmental area at a time, with the goal of improving your performance.

• Rather than wait for others to complain or criticize, ask for specific feedback more often. When people make suggestions about your performance, try harder to listen without becoming defensive. Ask for detailed examples and suggestions.

• Think about some knowledge or skill you acquired recently, and evaluate how much this new learning increased your value to the organization.

• Make a list of activities, projects or assignments that would be challenging enough to force you to gain new knowledge or skills. Seek involvement in some of these opportunities. Evaluate the educational opportunities available to you and pursue them, whether on your own time or sponsored by the organization.

• Rather than try to improve every area at once, pay attention to one or two top priority concerns. After you have noticed improvement, focus on other priority areas.

• Study more books, manuals, articles, videotapes and audiotapes. Devote five fewer hours each week to television and five more hours to improving your knowledge.

• Consider believing in and doing things based on these positive attitudes:

"Knowledge is power."

"I am a life-long learner."

Cooper, Robert K. The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership & Life. New York: Crown Business, 2001.

Fisher, Roger, and Alan Sharp. Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge. New York: HarperBusiness, 1998.

Podesta, Connie, and Jean Gatz. How to Be the Person Successful Companies Fight to Keep. New York: Fireside, 1998.