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Five Ways to Pick Your Best Development Tools Self Help Articles | June 2 Gordie Howe Jersey , 2010
You have many, many choices when it comes to finding resources to help you achieve goals. Leadership and learning expert Kevin Eikenberry offers five tips on how you can pick the best tools for your growth and development.


Personal development.


Professional development.


Leadership development.


Regardless of which words you use, chances are as the New Year begins, you are thinking about some sort of development; some sort of approach to creating change Detroit Red Wings Jersey , growth and advancement in your life.


As you think about our world today, the good news is that you have lots of tools to choose from for any of these development efforts. The bad news is that you have lots of tools to choose from.


The challenge isn`t finding the tools, it is not getting lost in the sea of options - having so many choices that you are immobilized and ultimately choose . . . none.


This short article is designed to help you think about the blizzard of options you have for any development desire and to give you a simple process and series of questions to help you select the best tools and approach for reaching your development goals - whatever they are.


Find Your Focus. You can`t pick the right tool or right type of tool until you know on what you really want to focus. Let`s take leadership development as an example. While that does narrow your focus from career advancement, or something like that; leadership development is still a pretty broad category. Do you really want to become a better communicator Tyler Seguin Jersey , or more influential, or a better coach, or better at delegation or what? As you begin to refine your focus it will help you filter and find the best tools for your needs. Ask yourself: "What is my specific development focus?"


Recognize Your Learning Style and Preferences. Getting clear on how you best learn and how you prefer to learn is an important piece of self awareness and understanding. And, as important Jamie Benn Jersey , it is critical to not only finding the best tools, but using them once you have them. (After all you won`t learn by osmosis - you will have to use whatever tools you select.) Do you prefer to interact as you learn? If so, find tools that include a live component - like a live teleseminar or webinar (or of course a face-to-face seminar or workshop). Do you like personal help and attention? If so, find a coach or mentor to help you in your specific development area. Do you learn well by listening or reading? If so Dallas Stars Jersey , audio recordings or bookstranscripts may be the place for you to start. These are just some examples of what I am talking about. Start your sorting process by asking yourself: "How do I learn best and what clues does that give me in picking the types of learning materials I want?"


Determine Your Goals. Focus is fine, but what you really want is a specific learning goal. Your focus area might have drilled in that clearly; if not, before you pick any tools, get crystal clear on exactly what success looks like. Use what you already know about goal setting to inform you here. Be specific Sergei Bobrovsky Jersey , have a measurable outcome, have a timeline and be clear on the purpose for and benefits of reaching that specific development goal. All of these factors will help you pick the right tool. Ask yourself: "What is my specific learning goal and why is it important to me?"


Identify your Mentors and Experts. After doing the first three steps you should be zeroed in on specific learning outcomes and have a good picture of the types of tools that will work for you (whether recording, reading materials, checklists Seth Jones Jersey , live sessions, coaching and more). That will narrow the field, but you likely will still have many experts andor mentors to choose from. Do a search, ask your friends Columbus Blue Jackets Jersey , or review the experts, trainers and writers that you already read andor follow. Which ones have a style or approach you like? Which ones seem to match with you philosophically? Which will you enjoy learning from? Making this an intentional decision will make you far more successful in making the best choices and following through on your selections? Ask yourself: "Who has the expertise and tools that will help me reach my development goals?"


Invest in yourself. You`ve figured out your focus and your goals. You`ve determined the best type of learning materials to meet your needs and style. You`ve even figured out who you want to learn from. Great! Now it is time to invest! Think about your goal and why reaching it will make a difference in your life. With that in mind, realize that nothing in life (or personal and professional development) comes for free. You must invest your dollars in the products and services. You must invest your time in using them. You must invest in yourself. Are there free resources available to help you in your specific goal? Most assuredly. Should take advantage of them? Without a doubt. Recognize though that free will likely only get you so far and likely not all the way to your goals. When you have invested the time and thought into the first four suggestions, it will be clear to you that you are worth the investment to get what you need. If you are serious about your development Mikko Rantanen Jersey , invest appropriate. You are worth it! Ask yourself: "What is reaching my development goal worth to me - financially, personally and more?"

Of course, the unstated step is the most important of all - you must take action.


You must read the book, listen to the recordings Gabriel Landeskog Jersey , do the suggested steps, attend the session, etc. While I realize this goes beyond the advice of how to pick yo

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