Introduction
What is Personal Development? Why is it important to a business?
Similar to Professional Development, personal development has to do with your profession, but it also has to do with YOU. If you are in the right profession, your work will reflect who you are. In other words, the work you do will give you opportunities to be, well, YOU.
In this section, we won’t be talking about fixing your personality or changing who you are. In fact, not just this section, but most of what motivated the development of this course is about how to have your work adequately reflect what you do best because you enjoy doing it. This section-while allowing you to build a toolkit you can take to any job whatsoever--will also provide ways for you to practice growing in maturity and responsibility. Without a calm and mature stance on your work and your presentation, you will not succeed to the extent that you desire.
What do we mean by that? You can learn technical skills that make you valuable and you can earn money based on the market value of those skills, yet without the skills we discuss here, your success will not be cultivated from the inside out. It will make your worth about the job and the money, rather than a way that you can grow and learn...and, if you are fortunate, guide or mentor others.
What does this have to do with being a Professional Assistant?
As mentioned in the previous section, by your focus and growth in the areas of confidence, punctuality and how you show up, to name a few examples, you are showing that you care. By showing that you care, you are taken seriously. By being taken seriously, you are given trust. By being trusted, people will shower you with more and more responsibility. In fact, they will be asking you if you want the additional responsibility...not the other way around.
When we focus on what we can become as responsible, assertive, professional and confidently intelligent human beings, our level of professional expectation increases and so does the amount of money we can command. It bears saying here that if you think the role of a Professional Assistant is to cater to the whims of the entrepreneur when it comes to your worth...think again. By taking care and placing a LOT of attention in the area of personal development, you will come to understand that YOU place a desirable income on your worth, and they will accommodate it. Why? Because they get that you are highly valuable to them. Your example speaks volumes to what it costs to maintain your support.
Why should I pay attention to this?
In the Professional Assistant role, you are key to what makes an executive and an organization tick/flow. In other words, why you should be paying attention to this is the same as asking why you would be paying attention to your gifts AT ALL. These less-addressed aspects of your work are what give you the voice you need to command your place within an organization. How you take care of or treat yourself directly reflects your responsibilities within an organization. No one has to look over their shoulder because they’re afraid you don’t know what you’re doing. They know, and so do you. These things clearly communicate what you are about and how much you value what you do. Anything you are asked to do, you do with the same respect and success.
What else should I know?
When we talk about personal development, it can be personal. It’s important to understand that how you feel about yourself, how you believe others view you, your confidence, what you believe about the world—comes through both in interviewing for a job and once you have the job.
When you have a stronger and more assertive stance on your self-care, you absolutely KNOW you are quite valuable. The value of your work is determined by your trustworthiness, usefulness and is ultimately paid out in the amount you earn. Hard work is not the only determining factor in income. Money is energy—and the energy you bring to your professional tasks will determine how valuable you are to those you work with and for. It’s basic physics...input = output.
Your habits have been in the making for years. No one is free of habits that need improving, so our perception on this section is that you should take it seriously...but take yourself lightly. Perseverance is the key; practice helps us learn those areas that require the most development to be a successful assistant. For example, when you build your confidence, you will be open to hearing criticism, taking it to heart, and being able to take action where necessary.
This section will include lessons on:
Confidence
Confrontation
Professionalism & Authenticity
Self-Care
Punctuality
Showing Up
Boundaries
Emotional Intelligence
Being Assertive
The final lesson(s) of this, and every, section will be:
Problems you may encounter, along with suggested Solutions based on our experience
Resources that we have found useful, that you might also use to your advantage.
Highlights of the Section
Interested in Coaching? Visit: https://thepowerhousepa.podia.com/the-powerhouse-assistant-coaching for more information.