CPD Explained

CPD explained: I am intrigued by this definition by CPDUK where it is stated that:

 

“Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. It enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive.”

I had an unexpected to the part that said ” It enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive” because i jumped to my own conclusions about what that meant.  It is impossible to be proactive all the time. Does this mean that we miss out on all the learning that comes through choosing how we react to circumstances that are out of our control? To me, if you cannot work with the passive and the reactive, as well as the conscious and the proactive, then how can we fully learn from our working lives. Sometimes we do not choose change. We do not choose the funding cuts that make our role impossible or even obsolete. Sometime we do not consciously choose the changes in our lives that make promotion unattainable right at this time. Sometimes work and life do happen at us and we are ‘the victim of circumstance’, and there is nothing whatsoever that we could have done about that to have prevented it happening.

The proactive and conscious bit can however still happen, even when the winds of change are not of our doing. As the greek philosopher Epictetus says: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”. In holistic CPD it is our response that needs to be conscious and proactive. If the changes in events or circumstances are beyond our control then we can still choose our next professional steps from this place.  Bury your head in the sand and you remain the victim of the new circumstance.  Take a good look at the lie of the land, make an informed choice regarding whether to stay or go, and, you have a chance of retaining your professional autonomy.

So this is what conscious and proactive looks like to me. Often its not about seeking out the new course or industry specific skill. To me, conscious and proactive, in a professional sense, means being really aware of what is happening in your role, your work context and your sector. Proactive is responding to the ebb and flow of change, in the manner that suits you best. Being proactive in service of your greater working purpose, by turning circumstances to your own own benefit, is a wise thing to do. These tweaks and nudges can be subtle but they need to be very conscious all the same. The smallest rightful tweak can make the biggest difference. This is my version of CPD explained. What’s yours?

Explore here to learn more of career coaching with Rebecca and here for a glimpse into her coaching world.