The Importance of Continuous Development
Dear clients,
Every day do something that will inch you closer to a
better tomorrow. ” - Doug Firebaugh
This quote effectively introduces the theme for this
LeMaSa Chronicle. LeMaSa is about unlocking
the potential of everyone that we work with and we
are often impressed with the effort that people
put in to develop themselves and to stay ahead of the
pack.
At the same time we sometimes despair at the lack of
recognition for the importance of continuous self- and
career development. That is why we spend a sizeable
chunk of the time at our Development Centres
discussing the importance of actively taking charge
of your career and own development.
In this edition we also discuss how E-valuation™
can assist you in building a deep pipeline of
talent to address business challenges
in the future.
We trust that the latest economic woes in the world
will not have a major negative impact on your
organisations, but that you will create
opportunities for future success amidst these
difficult conditions.
Warm regards
Sandra Schlebusch

“One of the biggest reasons people don’t reach their full potential is because they don’t really understand continual improvement. Skills and capabilities aren’t things that you achieve and then coast on for the rest of your life. You can’t exercise for three months and then decide you are set for the rest of the year. Pretty much everything you wa nt to i mprove will require at least a small amount of effort on a regular, ongoing basis” (Mark Shead, 2010).
At LeMaSa we see this everyday - People who have completed their studies 10 or more years ago, attended a few courses and seminars along the way and still think that what they had done in the past will be sufficient in future. As WealthNut (http://www.wealthnut.info/w_05/tracy-increasing-earning-potential-4.asp) puts it so eloquen tly: ”To earn more, you must learn more. You are maxed out today at your current level of knowledge and skill. However much you are earning at this moment is the maximum you can earn without learning and practicing something new and different”.
Deloitte stated in 2010 that 60% of the jobs in the 21st century require skills possessed by only 20% of the workforce. This means that most of us do not have the necessary skills to be successful in the 21st century. The reason for this is that our accu mulated knowledge and experience are becoming obsolete bit by bit, day by day. The knowledge in any of our fields is doubling every three to five years. This means that our knowledge must double every three to five years just for us to stay even.
The solution to the dilemma of unavoidable change is continuous self-development. To stay on top of our world, we must continually add to our knowledge and ability. We must continually build up our mental assets if we want to enjoy a continuous return on our investment. And only by building o n our cu rrent assets do we stop them from deteriorating.
We know that it takes effort and time to stay ahead of the game, but unfortunately we have no choice. If you want to position yourself for tomorrow and be able to ride the waves of change, you have to deliberately learn something new every day. Pat Riley, in his book The Winner Within, wrote that, “If you are not committed to getting better at what you are doing, you are bound to get worse.”
Sources:
Mark Shead, 2010, Continual Self-Development, http://www.productivity501.com/continual-improvement/7645/
WealthNut.com ht tp://www.wealthnut.info/w_05/tracy-increasing-earning-potential-4.asp