The Evolution of Professional Development

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In the latter part of my career as a campus leader I would use the start of the academic year to conduct some annual ‘kick off’ activities. One of these activities was an effort to make professional development a priority for my direct reports. Each fall, I would meet with my direct reports to consider what the year ahead was going to look like for them from a professional development standpoint. I knew that in my time as a rising professional I got all sorts of advice, directives and guidance about Professional Development. Some of the advice was great, and some was… well ...  terrible. And, I wanted to provide guidance that was more on the side of great than terrible.

The great advice that I would receive didn’t always come with a great budget to match it, rather, the advice was about broadening my view of professional development, and what would benefit my growth. Supervisors and mentors spoke to me about what was missing from my resume and how I could fill those gaps, whether it be through chairing a committee, developing a seminar for my peers, or yes - attending a symposium or conference. The balance of activities brought with it growth, and also stimulated my desire to do more to develop as a professional.  

The terrible advice was unimaginative and far too general. “You should attend a national conference. That will be a good thing for you. Oh, but when you are planning, let’s make sure that we have sufficient office coverage. And, you will have to share a room, because we don’t have the funds for a private room.” 

While national conferences can be amazing opportunities, attending a conference once a year isn’t professional development. After decades of attending conferences, which I do enjoy, I have come to a possibly unpopular opinion - there is a point that conferences do more to help you develop your professional brand, rather than your professional competencies.

A Cultural Shift

I know now that as a supervisor and manager I missed the opportunity to actually do more as it relates to professional development. Rather than developing a professional development plan, I should have been working with my direct reports on creating a culture of development. One of the first steps toward a cultural shift of any kind is to work with the team to identify the shared values related to the area you are seeking to make the change happen. In the case of professional development, we should be bringing individuals together from across the organization as they have differing views and perspectives of what professional development is and how successful it has been in delivering on outcomes. 

Shared values lead to shared language and definitions. Newspapers, trade publications, and other subscriptions - do they count as professional development? Sure they do. Just like someone who logs into their Peloton each day and rides their bike, that is coming from an internal drive. Connecting with peers from graduate school, or individuals you’ve shared an experience with at a conference via Zoom or in person can also be professional development. These are individuals who you know you have a linked experience with. They are people you actually enjoy workshopping ideas with … and they aren’t gummed up in your workplace politics.  Make plans to network over a topic or an issue. That is professional development. 

As supervisors we can encourage such individualized and internally motivated actions by our staffers and champion these moves by calling attention to the flexibility and the customized nature of what professional development can be. It’s not a conference … it’s a culture. 

Space for Interaction, Accessibility and Being Seen

As an individual who has spent decades developing learning content and sessions, something that is intrinsically important in that effort is designing a program that includes interaction, a commitment to access and an opportunity for participants to be seen. Over the last three years, my consulting work has brought me to a point where I am more in tune with these elements. In-person keynotes and workshops are always an element of what I do, but even before the pandemic I saw the value of online and remote learning to expand offerings and learning.

Podcasting is a medium that I have been an active consumer of for several years, having co-hosted podcasts of my own and been a guest on others. I saw that the platform provides a great way to deliver content, but there is little space for interaction in real time. For that reason, I was intrigued when the Fireside developers approached me about a Higher Education show. The beta launch provided me with the ‘sandbox’ to play with the app as the developers and programers continued to add features. 

The Evolution of Professional Development

“Office Hours with Dr. De Veau” is a featured show on Fireside in and amongst industry leaders in medicine, business, media and more. Fireside is a unique platform that combines the portability of a podcast, with the interactivity of a conference or seminar. By being on the app during the live broadcast, you are literally in the room - you are part of the show. You can clap, laugh, and request to ask questions. Fully interactive. 

A live transcript is available for every show, and for those who would benefit from closed captioning, it is a click away. Take the show with you on your iOS mobile device, and take that mid-day walk, or shut your office door and immerse yourself in a topic that will challenge you or reinforce your strategy. When the show is over, it is immediately sharable - send it to whomever you think would benefit from the show. Wildly accessible. 

Step up the microphone in the app and request to ask a question, contribute to the dialogue or even be a part of the “5 minute consult” at the end of the show, when me and my guest(s) give you the tools you can use to take a first step toward organizational or professional improvement. We see you.