Taking Charge of Personal Professional Development
March 31, 2008I love to learn! I confess that both formal (at meetings) and informal (reading, observation, discussions) professional development energizes me. I also know that I am rare and that we planners and our vendor partners often are like "the shoemaker's children."
According to an old saying, "the shoemaker's children have no shoes." Those of us who plan meetings and events where our colleagues and members receive professional development do not always take advantage of the professional development opportunities available to us.
It's time to change that! In an increasingly competitive world, we need to keep up with trends and skills that will advance our knowledge. Whether in or outside of our industry, educational opportunities for planners abound.
Professional Organizations in the Meetings Industry
Go to http://conventionindustry.org/aboutcic/cic_member_orgs.htm and investigate all the organizational members of the Convention Industry Council, the hospitality and meetings industry "umbrella" association. Among the organizations there, you will find those that are familiar (such as PCMA, MPI, SCBMP, SGMP, ISES, HSMAI) and those that are less well known. Click on the links and read about the education and professional development opportunities each organization offers. For some, you do not initially have to be a member to attend either national, international, or chapter programs.
If you currently are a CMP, sign up for the CMP Conclave to learn with peers and from others.
If you are studying to take the CMP exam, CMP study groups are often available through industry organization chapters or online and will help you advance in knowledge for the exam and provide information you can use immediately.
Professional Organizations Outside Our Industry
Stretch yourself and learn at meetings of other organizations. Two I highly recommend are the World Future Society (www.wfs.org) and the International Association of Facilitators (www.iaf-world.org). Both organizations have annual meetings at which you can listen and participate in sessions to learn new skills, collect data to build your ability to be a strategic thinker, and expand your network.
Once you join the World Future Society, you will receive its excellent publication, The Futurist, in which you will always find data to help you think through issues that impact our work.
We are all time-starved and yet, we need to set the example for what a professional is and does. Take some time to determine what you will do in the next three to six months for your own professional development. Talk with your employer about the importance of underwriting your participation in professional development. When you do, write a report with what you learned, how you'll use it, and the impact on your employing organization or on your work with clients. Write to me at Eisenstodt@aol.com and tell me what you did. And of course, give yourself a gold star for moving your education forward.