Professional development plan should be part of every person’s business or personal action plan in the quest to reach that next success step. With the current year quickly coming to an end, now is the time for reflection to answer these questions:

• What goals did I achieved?
• What goals do I have yet to realize?
• Where did I expand my energy?
• Where did I waste my energy?
• How much further evolved am I 365 days later?

To answer the last question, I looked back at 2006 and counted the hours that I had personally invested in my own self-development. The answer was over 300 professional development hours or less than one hour per day. This well invested time has helped me to evolve from a good performance improvement consultant, executive and corporate coach to a better one who realizes that I need to continually evolve if I am truly committed to delivering the best solutions to my clients. And what is even more important, my state of evolving has resulted in my own personal growth and awareness.

As I contemplated this last year as well as previous years, I can truly say that my own self-directed professional development has been a continuum of evolving. I have been fortunate to interact with a variety of individuals who have willingly shared their experiences and allowed me to share mine. These interactions range from one on coaching sessions to tele-conferencing mastermind groups to attending formal conferences. And, one of the additional benefits is the development of new strategic alliances from coast to coast.

Currently, I am revisiting my 2007 strategic business plan and personal action plan. Professional development goals in 2007 will include over at least 365 hours or at least one hour per day.

• 100 hours for professional development conferences
• 1.5 hours per week for a mastermind marketing group
• 1 hour per week speaking to a coach or mentor
• 5 hours per week minimum for reading

The outcome from these written goals is:

• I can state with complete confidence that my clients will double and multiply their results.
• My growth will help other individuals beyond my clients.
• I will be a better person.

What continually surprises me is the lack of planned professional and personal development by most individuals who tell me that they want that next level of success. However, these same people tell me that “They don’t have time” or that “Their plates are full.” Yet, research suggests that most people waste at least 1 hour per day.

Just imagine if you could reinvest that one-hour per day toward your own evolving? What new heights of development could you reach? Well, a New Year is just around the corner and you still have time to develop your professional development plan.

P.S., if you don’t have a strategic plan for your business or an action plan for yourself, then you are on somebody else’s usually your competitor’s for that next client or that next position.

Additional Success Resources